Tokugawa Japan : Demographics and Family

Abstract

Two Japanese primary sources, Shuman aratame cho and Ninbechu aratame cho, provide census and familial data for studying the population and family in Tokygawa Japan. As for Shuman aratame cho, it was a product of the strict prohibition of Christianity by the Tokugawa b a k u f u. In principle, all Japanese individuals were required to get a seal from his/her local Buddhist temple to prove his/her religious identification as a Buddhist not as Christian. The administrative heads of c h o (town) and m u r a ( v i l l a g e ) were in charge of compiling the document and submitting it to d a i m y o (feudal lord). The Ninbechu aratame cho, compiled by b a k u f u officials and local d a i m y o according to their administrative needs, was a census document of a particular jurisdiction, listing name and age of individual resident like Shuman aratame cho. The historical demographic studies in Japan based on the above two sources have been used for illuminating the reasons for regionally different family patterns. Still, more case studies are needed for further clarify the regional differences in the family pattern. In addition, in answering many unsolved questions about the demographic realities of Tokugawa Japan, historical demographers can be helped with the findings of other related disciplines such as linguistic, geography, and so on.