Taro

A taro [たろ; later written as 臥] was the ruler of a domain known as an ojii in the history of the Summui Kingdom. The word later became a title associated with landlords and overseers in the 17th thru 19th centuries. The role of a taro was to govern and control his ojii, an administrative division made up of 20 locales. Above ordinary taro existed three onirutaro, who had control over the three oniru districts of Muishō, Tonnori and Fuzai. Promotion to the office of onirutaro was highly sought after, and as a result most taro were in constant competition with each other.
The taro arose around the 12th century as local leaders who began to build odoku (Summui castles and forts) in order to protect their lands. The title of taro was also a hereditary one, which made conflict and bitter rivalries commonplace. Zu'anji was a onirutaro who was notable for breaking this mold, having ascended to his office despite being of a low-ranking merchant background.