The Machi-yakko were vigilantes of Tokugawa Shogunate-era Japan who fought against the kabuki-mono samurai bandits of the time. The Machi-yakko, or "servants of the town", were mostly young men who joined forces to fend off the increasing attacks by the hatamoto-yakko (or kabuki-mono), with their leaders often serving as clerks, shopkeepers, innkeepers, and artisans, or laborers (such as homeless wanderers and stray samurai) rounded up by local construction bosses. The machi-yakko were adept at gamling and developed a close relationship with their leaders that later inspired the tight organization of the yakuza.