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were officials of the Tokugawa shogunate in Edo period Japan. Appointments to this prominent office were usually ''fudai'' daimyō, 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" or "overseer" or "governor." Under the control of Rōjū, this ''bakufu'' title identifies a magistrate or municipal administrator with responsibility for governing and maintaining order in the shogunal city of Osaka,〔Hall, John Wesley. (1955) ( ''Tanuma Okitsugu: Forerunner of Modern Japan,'' p. 201 )〕 Settsu Province, and Kawachi Province. The Osaka ''machi-bugyo'' 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-bugyo'' 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. )〕 Each ''machi-bugyo'' 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.〔 Each machi-bugyo worked by relay, changing on duty and off duty monthly. Machi-bugyo which is on duty accept new tasks. Another machi-bugyo which is off duty does not accept new tasks, but still working to deal with tasks which had been accepted. By this alternation system, bakufu let two bugyos watch each other, and decentralized the massive power of machi-bugyo, therefore prevented injustice. In this period, the ''machi-bugyo'' were considered equal in status to the minor ''daimyō''. At any one time, there were as many as 16 ''machi-bugyo'' located throughout Japan;〔 and there was always at least one in Osaka. ==Shogunal city== During this period, Osaka 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.〔Cullen, William. (2003). 〕 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「Osaka machi-bugyō」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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