著者
松崎 憲三
出版者
国立歴史民俗博物館
雑誌
国立歴史民俗博物館研究報告 = Bulletin of the National Museum of Japanese History (ISSN:02867400)
巻号頁・発行日
vol.18, pp.141-168, 1988-03-30

Traditionally, folklorists have had a marked tendency to choose depopulated areas as their favorite field, because it was these remote places that seemed most likely to maintain folkways permitting them an efficient investigation. They never tried, however, to study seriously the problem of depopulation itself. In natural consequence, it has been rare for them to try methodological examinations, such as those aimed at discovering how to interpret depopulation and change in folkways.In accordance with these reflections, we tried to analyze the colony of Amagase in Nishihara Section, Kami-Kitayama Village, Yoshino District, Nara Prefecture. Three viewpoints, that are 1) the ecological viewpoint 2) the social viewpoint and 3) the religious view and consciousness structure, were defined as analysis indicators to be used in comprehension of the transformation of folkways.Nishihara is composed of five colonies of Amagase, Hiura, Izumi, Hosohara, Obara. The first two colonies are called ‟Amagase-gumi” (Amagase group), and the last three are called ‟Mikumi” (three groups). The Amagase and Mikumi groups were separated from each other by four kilometers, but the abolition, during the Meiji era, of the highway passing through the Amagase area left it abandoned far behind the main highway and urged some of inhabitants to move into the Mikumi area. The reparation works of the National 169 around 1970 made for a decisive urge to leave the Amagase area completely abandoned. Facilities for shopping and traffic communication as well as the human inclination for togetherness must have concentrated inhabitants' dwellings along the roads of Mikumi.However, even after they dispersed among the inhabitants of Mikumi, members of the Amagase group maintain their original unity performing their group duties in festivals or mutualaid association events and showing a greater attachment to the Kumi (group) than to the Daiji (section).In any case, it may be said that the Amagase group, in a way, overcame the danger of depopulation by moving to the Mikumi area and reorganizing their colonies. What made it possible was the their ownership of common forests and worship of a god as symbol of their unity. However, both the Amagase and Mikumi group show great attachment to the Kumi, and it is not so that the life of Nishihara area as a whole is reorganized. Depoputation of the Nishihara area as a whole is, as slow as it is, in progress. The area on the whole will face the need of some action in near future.
著者
松崎 憲三
雑誌
日本常民文化紀要
巻号頁・発行日
vol.20, pp.25-84, 1999-03
著者
松崎憲三編
出版者
岩田書院
巻号頁・発行日
1993
著者
松崎 憲三
出版者
国立歴史民俗博物館
雑誌
国立歴史民俗博物館研究報告 = Bulletin of the National Museum of Japanese History (ISSN:02867400)
巻号頁・発行日
vol.2, pp.1-39, 1983-03-15

The study of the spatial composition of a village and the life centered around it, is a primary concern. This paper examines some villages located at Kurahashi (Unagami, Chiba Pref.), which was selected for field work. An analysis of the spatial composition is attempted through examining eight items: (1) the boundaries of the village (murazakai) (2) residential areas (3) land for cultivation (4) non-cultivated land (5) ritual areas (6) social areas (7) place names (8) directions.The result is as follows:(1) In the center of the village, Suijinsha (literally “water god shrine” ) as ubusunajinja (shrine of the local guardian diety) and Hōjuin as tetsugidera are surrounded by a circular road. From the circular road, radial roads run in four directions. The residential area of the village is limited to the inside of the circular road and the circumference.(2) Outside the residential area lies land for cultivation. The plateau is used for fields and there are rice fields in the terraced ground along the valley; the slopes between the rice fields and fields as well as the land around the cultivated land is not cultivated.(3) One of the ideological boundaries that crosses the radial roads, corresponds to the physical boundary between the residential area and the land for cultivation. Another boundary is located where dorokujin ( “guardian of the village boundary” , “road safety god” ) and tsuka are placed at the entrance of a road running from the highway that runs in the north to the residential area. Thus, there are two ideological boundaries in the north and this has a relation to the geographical boundaries that are also dual. Possible reasons for these dual boundaries set in the north are the presence of the cultivated area stretching in the north, the fact that development is limited and the necessity for a protective boundary due to the heavy traffic along the highway.(4) Kurahashi consists of five seko that were muragumi (small regional groups) but initially it consisted of two muragumi that were divided by a river. Moreover, as the entrance and exit of the village correspond to the two dōrokujin located on the radial roads running from South to West, and from North and East, a close relation can be found between the number of muragumi and entrances to the village.(5) The words South and North have a social connotation; South is superior to North and this is reflected in the two groups (muragumi) North and South We can find a belief concerning the sun that underlies the superiority of South.