Yoriki

Yoriki are the chief assistants to magistrates

Duties

Yoriki would perform investigative and police work for their lords, such as finding witnesses to crimes and recording their testimonies, handling prisoners and conducting questioning (including torture), and overseeing the doshin in their master's service.
The yoriki were the samurai who actually enforced the laws and prepared the cases instead of rendering judgment. However, the yoriki did not enjoy the diplomatic immunity that magistrates had from local daimyo. As such, they had to be careful in the execution of their duties, lest they run afoul of local law enforcement. Despite this, yoriki had a great share of autonomy in the execution of their assignments.
Commonly charged with inspecting the travel papers of all those who passed their waystations, it was required that anyone passing through a village with a Yoriki in it would have to pay them a visit and inform them of their intentions and destination.

Type

Civic, Professional