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Koshō (小姓?) is one of the occupation names of samurai. Koshō is written as 小性 in some sorces.


[edit] Overview

The name koshō is derived from 扈従 (koshō, lit. "following a noble"), and, since the Middle Ages, they had served the general samurai, and were doing several jobs.

For Sengoku era, they also had done secretary's role. They were required first-class manners and military arts. Their main role was to defend their master sacrificing their own lives. Some koshō played an active part as his master's aide after he had grown up. Toyotomi Hideyoshi and Tokugawa Ieyasu had taken daimyo's sons hostage virtually, under the pretext of koshō.

During Edo period, koshō was doing chores for the shogun as instructed by the wakadoshiyori. Under the Tokugawa shogunate's and his daimyōs' hans' occupational systems, the secretary's role was done by sobayōnin (側用人?), sobashū (側衆?), kinjū-shuttōyaku (近習出頭役?) and goyō-toritsugiyaku (御用取次役?), and the main duty of koshō became mediation for his master's everyday life and work nearby him. But his most important job under the pretext was the guard of shogun or han lords.

Konandoyaku (小納戸役?) was the occupation who is doing remote jobs as koshō's subordinates because koshō had to be always on his master's side.

Some han lords had appointed young samurai immediately after genpuku to koshō, and educated him as own faithful subordinate in the future.

For instance, in many cases, the first son of eidai-garō (永代家老?) had been adopted firstly as koshō, through yōnin (用人?)( or an apprentice of karō), and become next karō finally.

karō: A principal retainer
eidai-garō: A hereditary principal retainer

And, high vassal's sons had been appointed to koshō, in heyazumi-mibun (部屋住み身分?) as servants or companions for a prince of han lord.

heyazumi-mibun: A samurai who cannot succeed his family estate. For example, a second or third son, or an illegitimate son.

Some clans of han lords were prohibiting koshō to contact with other clans include the koshō's own it, because koshō had served most near of his lord then he knew of a lot of secrets of his han.

In many cases of taishin-hatamto (a hatamoto who has a lot of vassals) the second or third sons who can't be adopted to another clan became chū-goshō (中小姓?) (chūoku-goshō (中奥小姓?)) as new vassal of his clan. In the same cases of daimyo, however, they could become not koshō but kyujin.

The second or third sons of poor samurai were sold to the temple for mouth reduction or study, and they took care of priests as tera-koshō (寺小姓?).

一般的には大抵十八・十九と成人する頃には、纏まった金をもらって御家人株・諸藩の足軽株を買う者、あるいは町家に囲われるなどして（援助を受けて）寺を出された（寺小姓から解放された）者、及び妻子を持って所帯を持っても、いわば公認・法律婚によるものでなく、その子供は、武家と認められずに町民・百姓となる者などがあった。

ashigaru: the lowest samurai class

[edit] Homosexuality

Some koshō were the partners for his master's homosexuality (shudō).(Generally, the koshō who did these services were called ko-gosho (児小姓?). However, these acts were not general for all koshō.) For Sengoku era, the samurai lords chose a beautiful koshō, and had done various sexual intercourses, which include anal sex, to emanate his sexual desire during long battles.

During Sengoku era, lords and his koshō who had the relation of shudō include:

evidenced by original sources
Takeda Shingen and Kōsaka Masanobu
Date Masamune and Tadano Sakujūrō
evidenced by second or other sources
Uesugi Kenshin and Naoe Kanetsugu
Uesugi Kagekatsu and Kiyono Naganori
Oda Nobunaga and Maeda Toshiie etc.

江戸時代に入ってからも、主君と小姓との性関係は江戸中期頃まで盛んであった。

この時代の代表例とされるもの
徳川家光と堀田正盛
徳川綱吉と柳沢吉保（館林藩小姓）など

また寺小姓も武家の場合同様、女犯を嫌忌する僧侶の欲情の“はけ口”の役割を果たすことがあった。

詳細は 少年愛 を参照

[edit] Notable koshō

※（ ）内は小姓時代の主君

  • 前田利家 - （織田信長）
  • 堀秀政 - （織田信長）
  • 森蘭丸 - （織田信長）
  • 片倉小十郎 - （伊達輝宗）
  • 高坂昌信 - （武田晴信）
  • 石田三成 - （豊臣秀吉）
  • 直江兼続 - （上杉謙信）
  • 清野長範 - （上杉景勝）
  • 井伊直政 - （徳川家康）
  • 松平信綱 - （徳川家光）
  • 柳生十兵衛 - （徳川家光）
  • 柳沢吉保 - （徳川綱吉）
  • 田沼意次 - （徳川家重）
  • 市村鉄之助 - （土方歳三）
  • 高嶺秀夫 - （松平容保）
  • 立見尚文 - （松平定敬）