与力 were members of the samurai class of feudal Japan. Yoriki literally means helper or assistant. Taiho-jutsu: law and order in the age of the samurai, Don Cunningham, Tuttle Publishing, 2004 P.42
During the Sengoku period, as the scale of warfare increased, the organization of armies commanded by was subdivided. The daimyō commanded the entire army as the commander-in-chief, . Under him, the commanded the main cavalry force, while the commanded the who fought on foot. Yoriki, often from the , assisted the samurai daisho and the ashigaru taishō on horseback.
In the Edo period, yoriki provided administrative assistance at governmental offices. Among different yorikis were the machikata yoriki, who were in charge of police under the command of the machi-bugyō. Below the yoriki were the dōshin. In the city of Edo there were about 25 yorikis working each for the two machi-bugyō offices. Since their status was , they were originally equivalent to and not allowed to ride horses, but the yoriki were allowed to ride as a special exception.
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