Land Redistribution Schemes in Tokugawa Japan

Abstract

"This paper explores a neglected aspect of village control over land and one of the major variants in Tokugawa landholding patterns, the practice of village ownership and periodic redistribution among peasants of arable land. The widespread existence of this practice raises several important questions. I shall touch upon only two here. First,the existence of this pattern of village control over arable land clearly indicates that contrary to common conceptions, very diverse Tokugawa land-holding patterns confronted planners of the mid~19th century Meiji land tax reforms. A brief description of land redistribution procedures helps to clarify how different from standard conceptions Tokugawa landholding practices could be.

"Second, the conflict between the principles of private land-ownership embodied in the Meiji government's new land tax system and the principles of village ownership embodied in redistribution practices permits examination of the relationship between traditional village practices and the reforms of a modernizing state. The treatment of land redistribution practices in Niigata prefecture indicates that the Meiji government pursued a policy of accommodation. Accommodation there was so extensive that Tokugawa practices exerted influences well into the 20th century."