[Article] Maidservants as Ladies in Waiting in the Inner Chambers of Edo Castle : A Study of their Appointment and Services

The aim of this study is to provide a clear picture of the oshirozukai—maidservants who were dispatched to the inner chambers of Edo Castle from the private quarters of daimyos' (feudal lords') mansions—through an examination of their appointment and services. The oshirozukai are also referred to as onnazukai or jochuzukai, but oshirozukai is the name that identifies the maidservants who were dispatched to the inner chambers of Edo Castle. Having confirmed this, I first conducted an analysis to grasp the whole picture of the service in the inner chambers of Edo Castle which was the main duty of the oshirozukai. This was a form of ceremonial service when a daughter or son of the Shogun was married to a member of the family of a daimyo, whereupon the family member getting married and the head of the family or his wife were required to make regular greetings and offerings to the Shogun. In principle this service was handed down to the head and wife of the head of the next generation of the daimyo family. In the mid- and late-early modern period, at the request of daimyo families, the principle of who could provide these services was expanded. Nevertheless, until the late Tokugawa Shogunate, the daimyo families permitted to provide such services accounted for only about one-tenth of the total. Therefore, the oshirozukai who were sent to provide services in the inner chambers of Edo Castle reflected honor on the master they served and showed off the family's lineage, which was evident in the spectacular procession to the castle. The service of the oshirozukai was undertaken by joro (noblewomen) or rojo (senior ladies in waiting), the highest ranks among the ladies in waiting at Edo Castle. As emissaries to the inner chambers of the castle, they were required to act with discipline and manners and to possess the abilities necessary to do so. In addition, maidservants of various administrative ranks shared the work of preparing offerings and letters, working together with the oshirozukai to support their services. Furthermore, male officials of both the inner and outer halls of the castle were ready to undertake some of the duties of the oshirozukai or join them in performing their duties. Nevertheless, the need also arose for young heads of household not yet of age to serve in the inner chambers because the assigned maidservants were not sufficient to perform the required administrative duties or because, when gifts were received from the Shogun or his wife in connection with the duties of the inner chambers, a person of appropriate rank was required to receive the envoy, regardless of whether it was of an official or private nature. On the other hand, the oshirozukai also functioned as a private channel for the unofficial communication of information in marriage negotiations between the Shogun's family and a daimyo family, or when an informal request was made from a daimyo's family to the Shogun's family. From the above considerations, it can be concluded that oshirozukai was a role equivalent to that performed by the rusui (caretakers) and the maidservants of the inner chamber who rendered such services can be positioned as female bureaucrats in the hierarchy of the daimyo family.