A sandal-bearer is a person who bears the sandals of his superior. The role existed in various cultures and epochs, being first documented in Egypt's Early Dynastic Period (c.

31st century BC The 31st century BC was a century that lasted from the year 3100 BC to 3001 BC. Events *c. 3100 BC: Polo ( mni, Sagol Kangjei) was first played in Manipur state. *c. 3100 BC?: The Anu Ziggurat and White Temple are built in Uruk. *c. 3100 BC?: P ...

In Antiquity

In Ancient Egypt the role of sandal-bearer was documented for the first time in history. A sandal-bearer is depicted on the

Narmer Macehead The Narmer macehead is an ancient Egyptian decorative stone mace head. It was found in the “main deposit” in the temple area of the ancient Egyptian city of Nekhen ( Hierakonpolis) by James Quibell in 1898. It is dated to the Early Dynastic ...

, as well as on both sides of the

Narmer Palette The Narmer Palette, also known as the Great Hierakonpolis Palette or the Palette of Narmer, is a significant Egyptian archeological find, dating from about the 31st century BC, belonging, at least nominally, to the category of cosmetic palettes. ...

, in which he is identified by a rosette and a club as the servant of the king. Based on interpretations of these depictions, the sandal-bearer was possibly a high-ranking official, accompanying the pharaoh on important occasions. The sandal-bearer would also take on the role of feet washer, a common task in ancient times.

In Medieval times

Sandal-bearers also existed in

Feudal Japan The first human inhabitants of the Japanese archipelago have been traced to Japanese Paleolithic, prehistoric times around 30,000 BC. The Jōmon period, named after its cord-marked pottery, was followed by the Yayoi period in the first millenni ...

, being a position of relatively high status. Probably the most famous person to take on this role in Japan was

Toyotomi Hideyoshi , otherwise known as and , was a Japanese samurai and ''daimyō'' (feudal lord) of the late Sengoku period regarded as the second "Great Unifier" of Japan.Richard Holmes, The World Atlas of Warfare: Military Innovations that Changed the Cour ...

, during the

Sengoku period The was a period in History of Japan, Japanese history of near-constant civil war and social upheaval from 1467 to 1615. The Sengoku period was initiated by the Ōnin War in 1467 which collapsed the Feudalism, feudal system of Japan under the ...

. Being of humble origins, around 1557 he joined the

Oda clan The is a Japanese samurai family who were daimyo and an important political force in the unification of Japan in the mid-16th century. Though they had the climax of their fame under Oda Nobunaga and fell from the spotlight soon after, several ...

, then headed by

Oda Nobunaga was a Japanese ''daimyō'' and one of the leading figures of the Sengoku period. He is regarded as the first "Great Unifier" of Japan. Nobunaga was head of the very powerful Oda clan, and launched a war against other ''daimyō'' to unify ...

, as a lowly servant. He became one of Nobunaga's sandal-bearers and was present at the

Battle of Okehazama The took place in June 1560 in Owari Province, located in today's Aichi Prefecture. In this battle, the heavily outnumbered Oda clan troops commanded by Oda Nobunaga defeated Imagawa Yoshimoto and established himself as one of the front-running ...

in 1560 when Nobunaga defeated

Imagawa Yoshimoto was a pre-eminent ''daimyō'' (feudal lord) in the Sengoku period Japan. Based in Suruga Province, he was known as . he was one of the three ''daimyōs'' that dominated the Tōkaidō region. He died in 1560 while marching to Kyoto to become ...

to become one of the most powerful

warlord A warlord is a person who exercises military, economic, and political control over a region in a country without a strong national government; largely because of coercive control over the armed forces. Warlords have existed throughout much of h ...

s in the Sengoku period. After the death of Nobunaga, he secured a succession of high imperial court titles including, in 1585, the prestigious position of '' kanpaku'' (regent).Berry, Mary Elizabeth. (1982). ''Hideyoshi.'' Cambridge: Harvard University Press, pp. 168–181
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References

Obsolete occupations Sandals {{Job-stub