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There are assembled here the Japanese (sorobun) originals and English translations of over fifty private agreements, mostly dating from the 19th century and selected from eighteen different villages scattered about the main island of Japan. Their subject matter has been classified into fifteen categories for convenience: water rights, land sales, boundary lines, commons, loans with or without interest, loans with or without various kinds of security, personal services, agreements concerning family relations (such as dowry, retirement, succession, sale-of-daughter, and prenuptial agreements), agreements concerning the headman's selection and performance, inter-village agreements, dispute settlement agreements, and apology agreements.
This volume will be of interest to historians, students of Japanese law, culture, and history, anthropologists, as well as anyone interested in Japan in the Edo period.
List of contents
Preface
Part 1: Introduction to Tokugawa Village Agreements
Footnotes
part 2: The Contracts: English and Japanese Versions
1. Water Rights
2. Land Sales (by way of loan)
3. Land Sales (direct)
4. Land Boundary: Agreement and Judgment
5. Land Leases
6. Land: Commons and Right-of-Way
7. Loans without Interest: From Overlord (also to Temples)
8. Loans with Interest (both secured and unsecured)
9. Loans: Special Arrangements (Redemptions, etc.)
10. Loans: Success Documents (without interest, term, or security)
11. Personal Service (and guaranties)
12. Family Relations: Dowry, Retirement, Succession
13. Headman Position: Qualifications, Undertakings, Performance, Disputes
14. Inter-Village Agreements: Joint Expenses and Assisting Village (Sukego) Accounting
15. Apology Agreements
Appendix 1: Town Agreements
Appendix 2: Weights and Measures
Glossary
About the author
Dan Fenno Henderson
