Dōshin
The Tōshin were low-ranking officials of the Tokugawa shogunate in Edo period Japan. Serving under various commissioners, the Kyoto Shoshidai, castle wardens, Great Guard Captains, Shoinbangashira, and the Fire and Theft Investigators, they were subordinate to Assistant Commissioners and performed duties such as general administration, patrolling, and security. Their social status was that of foot soldiers, meaning they did not hold full samurai rank.
Additionally, many domains also used the formal title Tōshin for their domainal foot soldier class.
Following the Meiji Restoration, they were classed as Sotsuzoku.
History
Medieval Period
Originally, during the late medieval period in Japan, the term tōshin meant "united and concerted effort" and was synonymous with ichimi or ikki. By the Warring States period, feudal lords had their lower-ranking samurai vassals form mutual alliances to handle peacetime service and military duties for their lord. Consequently, it became common to refer to these lower-ranking samurai as tōshin, a term later adopted by the Tokugawa shogunate as an official title for its bureaucrats.Various Tōshin Roles
Upon the establishment of the Tokugawa shogunate, all direct foot soldier retainers of the Tokugawa house were designated as tōshin, leading to the creation of various specialized groups such as the Iga and Kōga tōshin, the firearm units known as the "Hundred-Man Groups", and others. Those who became tōshin from the early Edo period onward, particularly those considered hereditary, could receive a stipend even if their specific post was abolished and could pass this privilege to their descendants. The shogunate's tōshin, despite being shogunal retainers, held the status of "housemen" rather than the higher-ranking "bannermen".Note that the Hachioji Sennin Dōshin originated from the administrative system of the Takeda family and differs from the Edo-period shogunal tōshin system.
Machikata Tōshin (Town Magistrates' Tōshin)
The Edo South and North Town Magistrates' Offices each had 25 Assistant Commissioners and 100 tōshin, responsible for the judiciary, administration, and police duties in Edo. Among these, the police patrol officers, known as mawarikat or "three patrols", numbered fewer than 30 combined for both offices. This force included fixed-route patrol tōshin, temporary patrol tōshin, and undercover patrol tōshin. Maintaining order in Edo, with a population nearing one million, was extremely challenging. Therefore, the magistrates' offices directly authorized minor servants to carry the jutte, and tōshin privately employed assistants known as Okappiki.The patrol tōshin were popular for their stylish appearance, often wearing their hair in a small ginkgo leaf topknot and embodying the Edo townspeople's aesthetic of "iki". The fixed-route patrol tōshin, who were assigned to specific districts, were particularly familiar to the townspeople. Others included temporary patrol tōshin and undercover patrol tōshin.
The standard stipend for a regular tōshin was 30 koku of rice plus a two-person rice allowance, which was not insignificant compared to direct retainers of the shogun. In practice, many earned several times this amount through gifts from various domainal lords and wealthy merchant houses, enabling them to hire private servants like the okappiki. They were granted official residences as lodgings, which often became synonymous with their status. These residences were approximately 300 tsubo for yoriki and about 100 tsubo for tōshin. Some rented out parts of their spacious allotted quarters for additional income. Their communal housing compounds were located in Hatchōbori, which consequently became a nickname for them.
On the other hand, because their work involved handling criminals and was considered unclean, they were sometimes disparaged as "defiled officials". Officially, their positions were not strictly hereditary; upon a vacancy, a new appointment was made. However, due to the necessity of expertise for maintaining public order, the role often became de facto hereditary. By the mid-Edo period, there were instances where townspeople could effectively purchase a "position share" through the formal process of adoption, thereby acquiring samurai status. However, for town tōshin, specific job knowledge was required, and there weren't excessively many impoverished individuals desperate enough to sell their tōshin shares, so such cases were not exceedingly common. A famous example is the father of the author Higuchi Ichiyō.