Published in 2000
Author : Saeko Narimatsu、成松佐恵子
人の楽しみの発見度:Excellent ★★★
The
author investigated not only the diary but also account books and so on. She shows
the role and daily life of the village head clearly.
The village head who lived in a river island in central Japan wrote the diary.
He
was busy with his official affairs, however, he enjoyed ikebana flower
arrangement, growing of chrysanthemums, creating haiku short poems and
traveling.
Moreover,
he enjoyed exchange with hobby pals and colleagues (other village
heads), and he enjoyed drinking. Although he didn’t have material wealth
like us, he enjoyed his life enough.
The
author made clear his holistic and actual life. Informative book!
Contents 目次
1. Nishijo
village and Nishimatsu family、西条村西松家の周辺(Part 1)
2. Life
in river island and river improvement、治水と輪中の暮らし(Part 1)
3. Activities
as a village head、庄屋としての活動(Part 1)
4. Necessities
of life (food, clothing and housing) and annual events、衣食住と年中行事(Part 2)
5. Diseases
and death、病気と死亡(Part 3)
6. Women
and helpers、女性たちと奉公人(Part 3)
7. Fun
concerning hobbies、趣味の世界(Part 4)
8. Village
budget, cost of living and price fluctuation、村入用・生活費・物価(Part 4)
日記だけでなく、諸雑費帳などの周辺の文書も調査し、庄屋(名主)の役割と日常生活を浮彫にしています。
日記の主は幕末の岐阜県輪之内町にいた庄屋さんで、村の公務が忙しい中、生け花、菊作り、句作に励み、旅も楽しみました。同時に、仕事仲間といえる他村の庄屋や、それぞれの趣味の同好の士との交流も楽しんでいます。酒も好んだようです。物質的には今ほど豊かではないのですが、楽しい人生を過ごしたと思います。
包括的、かつ、具体的に庄屋の暮らしと楽しみ方を知ることができ、とても良い本です。
Chapter 1 Nishijo village and
Nishimatsu family、西条村西松家の周辺
Gonbei
(1802-1862) wrote the diary in the Edo period (1603~1868)
which is the pre-modern period.
He
was the head of Nishijo village which is a part of Wanouchi town in Gifu
prefecture at present. It is a village in the island of Nagara River, so people
have suffered from flood but it is a fertile agricultural land.
His family produced 18 tons of rice at its peak time, and run financial business; they were wealthy family and helpers lived with him. He was in a position to meet his lord who was the daimyo of Ohgaki han.
House of a village head in Chiba prefecture、庄屋の家 Ohara Yugaku Museum、大原幽学記念館
Wanouchi Town in 2022、今の輪之内町・福束橋附近(the photo is added in January, 2022)日記の主の名は権兵衛さん。江戸後期(1802年生まれ、1862年死亡)を生きた人です。
権兵衛は、美濃国西条(にしじょう)村(現岐阜県輪之内町)の庄屋でした。長良川の輪中の村で、水害を被りましたが土地自体は肥えていました。農業の村でした。
権兵衛の家は、最盛期には120石(米18t)を生産し、金融業も営む裕福な家でした。家族だけでなく奉公人も住んでいました。権兵衛は、領主の大垣藩主に会える、いわゆる「お目見え格」の上層農民です。
Chapter 2 Life in river island and
river improvement、治水と輪中の暮らし
Public
works were done by each village in the Edo period, however, it was difficult to
do embankment works. Therefore, the Shogunate (Bakuku), Ohgaki han or other
hans did it. Btw, in the case of flood, people brought food, sake (alcohol) and
so on to the damaged villages. They had good relationship with other villages
in the river island.
江戸時代は、公共工事も村で行う自治の時代でしたが、輪中の治水工事は自普請だけでは無理で、御普請(幕府や藩)、お手伝普請(薩摩藩が担当)で実施しました。ところで、水害の時は、食べ物や酒の見舞の品が届けられ、近隣の村々とは密で良好な関係です。
Chapter 3 Activities as a village head、庄屋としての活動
The
role of a village head was to gather tax (rice) and manage his village with following
lord’s instructions. They were required to coordinate good relation between a
lord and residents with a humble attitude.
年貢の納入や領主の政策を実施するのが、庄屋の役目です。庄屋には、領主と村人の間に入って謙虚に務めることが求められていました。
Public safety、村の治安
Village
security was a mission of a village head. They captured thieves and gamblers.
A gamble
was considered to reduce agricultural productivity. It went around in the med
19th century. Gonbei bet a little, so it’s a matter of degree.
治安も庄屋の仕事で、盗賊や博奕を摘発しました。
博奕は農村の生産を減らすと考えられていました。公認の富籤、三笠付け(句作)、頼母子講が賭博になったものもありました。天保から弘化年間(1831-1848)に多かったそうです。権兵衛も少額は賭けていたといいますから、程度問題ですね。
Dealing with lads、やんちゃな若者組への対応
Every
village had an association of lads which was called “Wakamono (lads) Gumi
(group)” (hereinafter, this is called "lads’ group" in this
article). According to the document in 1848, a boy joined it at the spring at
when he was sixteen and left at the winter of twenty-five.
A
lads’ group run village events. In Nishijo village, the most popular one
was a festival of Shirahige Shrine on the 15th of August. In the nearby
villages, there were theater performances, equestrian feats and so on. Villagers
looked forward to those events more than anything else. Gonbei’s family
went to the event, and donated to actors or sumo wrestlers sometimes.
BUT,
lads’ groups caused trouble often like a fight inside and outside their
village. Although the village officers and lads made a rule, the troubles never
disappeared. As an example, lads of Nishijo went to the festival of Honto and quarreled
against village officers in August of 1827. Gonbei’s father went there and
settled it down it.
They
also required to increase holidays.
In
1859, they asked to hold a new festival “Hoe Festival” in order to pray for
good harvest at the beginning of the agricultural season. The festival day was
a village holiday at that time. Gonbei didn’t meet them because he got angry
with the lads; they brought the Jizo stone statue from the village boundary and
set it in front of his house. Lads asked middle-aged seniors to negotiate with
him. Gonbei consulted with the village head of their parent village “Niremata”.
Finally, he decided to hold Hoe Festival on the 24th of April. But
lads announced all around the village that the 25th was also a
holiday to clean up; no village officers had approved it. They were naughty and it’s a nuisance for the
village head.
In
1834, lads required a post-holiday after the festival in August and Choyo
Festival in September; village officers approved them. Those requirements occurred
accros Japan back then. (Reference: Village holidays in the Edo period (1/2),
S.Furukawa)
A
village head had to make villagers work diligently in order to pay rice tax,
and made naughty lads vent at the same time. It was a difficult job! I think
only a hereditary head could serve.
若者組は、男子がメンバーで、16歳の春から25歳の冬まで所属しました(1848年の記録)。
若者組は、イベントを仕切ります。西条村の一番のイベントは、8月15日の白鬚明神の祭礼でした。その他にも、近郷近在に芝居・狂言・馬かけなどの興行物がかかる日があり、村人の何よりの楽しみでした。西松家でも、家族が連れ立ってしばしば見物に行き、芝居や角力が催されると花代や酒をはずんでいました。
しかし、村毎にある若者組は、若さにまかせて村内外で問題(入組、喧嘩)を起こすことが少なくありませんでした。このため、「若者条項」が村役人と若者組の合議で作られ、若者に喧嘩などを自制するなどの約束をさせました。それでも、いざこざが起こっています。一例ですが、1827年8月14日、本戸村の蔵王権現社の祭礼に出かけた西条村の若者が、本戸村の村役人と入組を起こしました。権兵衛の父が出向いて取りなし、「当日相済」(訴えをせず、即日解決)で決着させました。
また、若者組は、休日の増加を要求しました。
1859年、耕作のはじめに労働の神に感謝して五穀豊穣を祈願する鍬祭りの実施を若者達が願い出ました。権兵衛は、村境の地蔵尊を西松家の前に持って来たことに立腹していて会いませんでした。若者達は中老(中年の世話役)に権兵衛との交渉役を頼み、祭りの実施と休日を要求しました。権兵衛は、本村である楡保村と相談して4月24日を鍬祭りにしました。ところが、若者達は25日の後片付けも休みにすると勝手に村中に触れ回りました。手を焼きますねえ。
さかのぼれば、1834年は例年通りの8月の祭礼日の休日の後に跡休日、9月の重陽の節句の休日でも跡休日を求めており、村役人側は認めています。休日増加の要求は西条村だけではなく、全国的な動きでした(「村の遊び日-休日と若者組の社会史」、古川貞雄、1986)。
年貢というノルマを守りながら、元気な若者のガス抜きもする。いやはや、庄屋は大変な仕事です。代々続く顔役でないと務まらないと思います。
Serving to the lord、領主への奉公
A
daimyo lord had to stay at Edo for a year in two years (Sankin-koutai). When
the lord left or arrived at his territory, Gonbei had to go to the castle in Ohgaki.
The lord visited his village regularly and in the case of disaster; He hosted
the lord. He also attended the lord’s funeral.
Btw,
a circular was issued when family members of the Emperor, the Shogun and his
daimyo lord died. Soon after that, musical performances, pubs and noisy
business suspended. It’s not good like the crackdown during COVID-19 pandemic.
Gonbei also had relationship with samurai officers of the lord.
Ogaki
Castle before burning by the airstrike at 1945. 「大垣城」『フリー百科事典 ウィキペディア日本語版』。2021年9月30日 (日) 9:20 UTC、URL: 大垣城 - Wikipedia
殿様(大垣藩主・戸田氏、譜代大名)の参勤交代への出発、着城の際には、大垣に拝礼に伺うのが庄屋の義務でした。また、藩主が定期的に、或いは災害後に行う巡検にも立ち会い、もてなしました。権兵衛は、お目見え格の者として殿様の葬儀にも参列しています。
ところで、当時は、天皇家、将軍家・御三家、藩主の不幸があると穏便触という回状がありました。これが来ると、歌舞音曲、鳴り物、肴商売(居酒屋?)や騒々しい音を伴う商いは直ちに営業停止になりました。コロナ流行期のようで大変ですね。
また、役目柄、権兵衛は多くの武士との交流がありました。
Other missions、その他の仕事
A
village head was responsible for an abandoned child. There were bad
people who got an abandoned child support payment but caused death to them by
lack of nursing. It’s an important mission.
The
head was also responsible for a missing person. It happened that a whole
family run away after famine, or a server run away. Some of them apologized and
returned to the village or escaped to a temple. Anyway, the head was responsible
for them until six months later. Then, they were removed from the village register.
Education
of the successor
was also a crucial mission. The head made his eldest son act as a substitute
and grew him as a successor.
https://www.loc.gov/pictures/collection/agc/item/2018719763/resource/
捨て子の扱いも庄屋の仕事でした。捨て子と養育費を預かりながら子供の面倒をみずに死なせるという非道の者もいたので、おろそかにできない仕事です。
村人の欠落(かけおち、失踪)への対応も庄屋の仕事です。飢饉後の一家逃散や奉公人の出奔がありました。欠落後、詫びを入れて村に戻る者や、寺に逃げ込む者もありました。欠落後、六ヶ月間は、その行動の責任は庄屋にありました。その後は、宗門改帳の帳外になり、村と縁が切れます。無宿者ですね。
後継者の教育も大切な仕事で、嫡子には、業務の代理をさせて庄屋として育てました。
Previous post (book about holidays in the Edo period):
Village holidays in the Edo period (2/2)、村の遊び日 (2/2)
Next post (Part2 of this article、この記事のパート2):
Rural society in the Edo period and
life of the village head (2/4)、庄屋日記にみる江戸の世相と暮らし
(2/4)
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