were officials of the

Tokugawa shogunate The Tokugawa shogunate, also known as the was the military government of Japan during the Edo period from 1603 to 1868. The Tokugawa shogunate was established by Tokugawa Ieyasu after victory at the Battle of Sekigahara, ending the civil wars ...

Edo period The , also known as the , is the period between 1600 or 1603 and 1868 in the history of Japan, when the country was under the rule of the Tokugawa shogunate and some 300 regional ''daimyo'', or feudal lords. Emerging from the chaos of the Sengok ...

Japan. Appointments to this prominent office were usually '' fudai'' ''

daimyō were powerful Japanese magnates, feudal lords who, from the 10th century to the early Meiji era, Meiji period in the middle 19th century, ruled most of Japan from their vast hereditary land holdings. They were subordinate to the shogun and no ...

'', but this was amongst the senior administrative posts open to those who were not ''daimyō''.Beasley, William G. (1955). ''Select Documents on Japanese Foreign Policy, 1853–1868'', p. 325. Conventional interpretations have construed these Japanese titles as "commissioner", "overseer" or "governor." This ''

bakufu , officially , was the title of the military rulers of Japan during most of the period spanning from 1185 to 1868. Nominally appointed by the Emperor, shoguns were usually the de facto rulers of the country, except during parts of the Kamak ...

'' title identifies a magistrate or municipal administrator with responsibility for governing and maintaining order in the shogunal city of Kyoto. The Kyoto ''machi-bugyō'' were the central public authorities in this significant urban center. These men were ''bakufu''-appointed officials fulfilling a unique role. They were an amalgam of chief of police, judge, and mayor. The ''machi-bugyō'' were expected to manage a full range of administrative and judicial responsibilities.Cunningham, Don. (2004)
''Taiho-Jutsu: Law and Order in the Age of the Samurai'', p. 42.
/ref> As in Edo, there were two ''bugyō-sho'' offices in Kyoto, ''higashi machi-bugyō-sho'' on the east and ''nishi machi-bugyō-sho'' on the west of the city; in Kyoto they were called ''higashi o-yakusho'' and ''nishi o-yakusho''. In Kyoto as well as in Edo they worked on a monthly rotating schedule. The duties of Kyoto ''machi-bugyō'' had been administered by Osaka ''gundai'' before 1669, when ''machi-bugyō'' system was introduced to Kyoto under the supervision of Kyoto ''shoshidai''. Each ''machi-bugyō'' was involved in tax collection, policing, and firefighting; and at the same time, each played a number of judicial roles –- hearing and deciding both ordinary civil cases and criminal cases. In this period, the ''machi-bugyō'' were considered equal in status to the minor ''daimyō''. At any one time, there were as many as 16 ''machi-bugyō'' located throughout Japan; and there was always at least one in Kyoto.

Shogunal city

During this period, Kyoto ranked with the largest urban centers, some of which were designated as a "shogunal city." The number of such cities rose from three to eleven under Tokugawa administration. All three cities, Kyoto, Osaka and Sumpu had ''machi-bugyō''. Other major "shogunal cities", or shogun ''chokkatsu-ryō'' had ''ongoku bugyō'' or ''bugyō'' to remote "shogunal cities"; from north to south,

Hakodate is a Cities of Japan, city and seaports of Japan, port located in Oshima Subprefecture, Hokkaido, Japan. It is the capital city of Oshima Subprefecture. As of January 31, 2024, the city had an estimated population of 239,813 with 138,807 househol ...

, Niigata, Sado,

Nikkō is a Cities of Japan, city in Tochigi Prefecture, Japan. , the city's population was 80,239, in 36,531 households. The population density was 55 persons per km2. The total area of the city is . Nikkō is a popular destination for Japanese and ...

Kanagawa is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Kantō region of Honshu. Kanagawa Prefecture is the List of Japanese prefectures by population, second-most populous prefecture of Japan at 9,221,129 (1 April 2022) and third-dens ...

, Uraga, Shimoda, Yamada,

Nara The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) is an independent agency of the United States government within the executive branch, charged with the preservation and documentation of government and historical records. It is also task ...

, Fushimi,

Sakai is a city located in Osaka Prefecture, Japan. It has been one of the largest and most important seaports of Japan since the medieval era. Sakai is known for its '' kofun'', keyhole-shaped burial mounds dating from the fifth century. The ''kofun ...

, Hyōgo and

Nagasaki , officially , is the capital and the largest Cities of Japan, city of Nagasaki Prefecture on the island of Kyushu in Japan. Founded by the Portuguese, the port of Portuguese_Nagasaki, Nagasaki became the sole Nanban trade, port used for tr ...

. Fushimi ''bugyō'' was appointed from ''daimyō'', and those for other "shogunal cities" was ''hatamoto''.

List of Kyoto ''machi-bugyō''

''Higashi machi-bugyō''

* Miyazaki Shigenari, 1665–1673. * Nagai Naomune, 1862–1864.Beasley, p. 338. * Ikeda Nagaoki, 1863.

''Nishi machi-bugyō''

: * Amemiya Masatane, 1665–1671.

Notes

References