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were the censors or the inspectors of Tokugawa Japan. They were ''bakufu'' officials ranking somewhat lower than the ''bugyō.'' The ''metsuke'' were charged with the special duty of detecting and investigating instances of maladministration, corruption or disaffection anywhere in Japan; and particularly amongst the populace having status below the ''daimyō.''〔Beasley, William G. (1955). ''Select Documents on Japanese Foreign Policy, 1853-1868,'' p. 326.〕 ==Intelligence gathering== The shogunate recognized the need for some kind of internal intelligence-gathering apparatus and for some degree of covert espionage within its own ranks. It could be said that the ''metsuke'' functioned as the Shogun's intelligence agency or as internal spies, reporting to the officials in Edo on events and situations across the country.〔Cunningham, Don. (2004). ( ''Taiho-jutsu: Law and Order in the Age of the Samurai,'' p. 39. )〕 The ''metsuke'' were charged with focusing on those ranking below ''daimyō''-status; and their counterparts, the ''ōmetsuke'', were responsible for supervising the activities of officials and members of the ''daimyō'' (feudal lords).〔 Although similarly engaged, the reporting protocols of the ''metsuke'' and ''ōmetsuke'' differed. The ''metsuke'' reported to ''wakadoshiyori'' who ranked just below the ''rōjū''. The ''ōmetsuke'' reported directly to the four or five ''rōjū'' at the top of the shogunate bureaucracy. By design, the intelligence-gathering activities of the ''metsuke'' was intended to complement those of the ''ōmetsuke'' even though there was no official reporting relationship between the two somewhat independent groups.〔 There were at any given time as many as twenty-four ''metsuke''.〔 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Metsuke」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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