#108
    108. COMMENDATION OF PERSONAL DEPENDENTS, 1359
                         (A copy in Terao docs.; also KK, VIII.)
THIS letter, written wholly in kana but in fair Japanese, forms a sort of a collective commendation
of persons. The representative of a group of seven persons who had been dependent upon a Shinto
temple pledged hereby that henceforth they would serve as personal followers of Terao Do-Ken,
son of Shigena. Taro-zhiro alone, who may have been of a lower personal standing than the others,
was presented "for all time," the phrase probably meaning a hereditary servitude. Though the new
status to which the seven persons and their properties, if any, were reduced, is very incompletely
specified, it is presumed that it was below that of the small enfeoffed vassals, but, perhaps excepting 
the case of Taro-zhiro, clearly not as ignoble as that of domestic slaves. These tono-bito may be
compared with the ge-nin in Nos. 13, 31, 37, 48, and 55, and with the waka-do of No. 92 and
ro-zbu of No.95.

    "IT is true that the seven persons of the party1 of Sai-Ho, of O-sono, of Kusu-
moto, Iriki in, do [present this] letter of their withdrawal (hiki-bumi) into the house-
hold2 of Mukae dono.3 Of these, the man4 Taro-zhiro is presented5 for all time. If
[any one of them] should go out of the [lord's] household,2 no matter into what
domain of a noble or influential personage or of a Shinto temple or a Buddhist church
he may have entered, all the seven persons of the party should, in accordance with
this letter, be taken as hereditary6 attendants.7 [In such an eventuality, they] would
not, under the title of men of the temple, raise the slightest objection. Therefore, the statement is [made] thus.
 "En-bun 4 y. 8 m. 10 d. [2 September 1359].
                              Sai-Ho, of O-sono, of Kusumoto, monogram."


1Ichi-rui. 2On-uchi, literally, household; this phrase, however, is not always taken in the literal sense. 3Terao Do-Ken. 4The word otoko(man) is often suffixed in this period to the name of a male servitor or a man of a low status generally. 5Mairase-oku. 6So-den, hereditary, the identical word used in relation to land holdings. 7Tono-bito, literally, men of the court or mansion.