low-ranking samurai attendant; shogun's guard on outings
Historical term from the Edo period. Refers to a low-class samurai who served as a guard for the shogun during outings.
In the Edo period, chūgoshō served as guards when the shogun went out.
Standard kanji spelling for this historical term.
Variant spelling; 姓 is the standard form.
Compound of 中 (chū, 'middle') + 小姓 (koshō, 'page' or 'young attendant'), referring to a middle-ranking page or attendant. The exact historical derivation is uncertain.