SOCIAL TRENDS IN THE MID-EDO PERIOD AND THE DISCRIMINATORY POLICIES USED BY THE BAKUFU AUTHORITIES AND FEUDAL LORDS TO CONTROL DISCRIMINATED GROUPS

BY THE MID-EDO period – the middle of the eighteenth century – the economic base of the Bakuhan regime was being eroded by the development of commodity-based agriculture and other forms of trade. Numerous contradictions began to appear. The development of new land from the late Warring States period to early Edo had been remarkable but at that time the level of existing technology had made further development difficult. As it reached its limits, the feudal lords’ finances suffered. The central and local governments strengthened their control over discriminated people as one way of subduing the resistance of the masses which showed itself as peasant rebellions aiming at the restructure of the social system.

In the eleventh month of 1692 the Bakufu sentenced a street watchman to death for making the daughter of an eta prostitute herself in the watchman's office. The imposition of this kind of severe sentence can be regarded as an attempt to strictly prohibit relations between the kawata/chōri and townsmen of other statuses in order to strengthen status control. The antagonism between Danzaemon and Kuruma Zenshichi over their authority continued from the early Edo period and a severe dispute continued over several years from 1719 until finally Danzaemon's authority over the hinin leader was confirmed. After this dispute was settled, the Bakufu gave orders that, in order to prevent hinin from mingling with commoners, their motodori [place where hair was gathered at the top of the head to create the ‘top knot’] should be cut off and their hair kept cropped short. It is said that these discriminatory measures were encouraged by the shogunal administrator, Ōka Tadasuke. In the eighth month of 1720 rice paid as tax by people of eta status was declared ‘defiled matter’ and payment in cash was ordered. However this measure was withdrawn two years later.

In response to the requests of the villages who were having problems with vagrants wandering around their areas and committing nefarious acts, the Bakufu in the sixth month of 1769 issued an order to the eight provinces of the Kanto region plus Izu and Kai (Yamanashi) that the eta or hinin as appropriate should arrest the badly-behaved vagrants in the villages.