Changes in Rural Society and Aspects of Farmers'Mentality in the "Transition Period"

1990 Fiscal Year Final Research Report Summary

• Project/Area Number: 01301014
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Co-operative Research (A)
• Allocation Type: Single-year Grants
• Research Field: 社会学(含社会福祉関係)
• Research Institution: Tohoku University
• Principal Investigator: HOSOYA Takashi Tohoku University, College of General Education, professor, 教養部, 教授 (10005754)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): KANNO Hitosi Tohoku University, Faculty of Literature, assistant, 文学部, 助手 (30214729) ; AKIBA Setuo Hirosima University, Faculty of Integrated Arts and Sciences, assistant professo, 総合科学部, 助教授 (90192905) ; ITO Isamu Fukui University, Faculty of Education, assistant professor, 教育学部, 助教授 (90176321) ; KOBAYASI Kazuho Osaka University of Foreign Languages, Faculty of Foreign Languages, assistant p, 外国語学部, 助教授 (20150253) ; NAKAJIMA Nobuhiro Tohoku University, College of General Education, assistant professor, 教養部, 助教授 (80005826)
• Project Period (FY): 1989 – 1990
• Keywords: changes in rural society / group farming of rice

Research Abstract

In the agricultural area of Shonai Region, Yamagata Prefecture, we have carried on research into the present conditions of agriculture and farm household economy, and by interviewing about 100 farmers and 80 farmers'wives respectively, into the family life and the collective mentality of the farmers.
1. The most important agricultural produce of the region is still rice. But lately, partly by the governmental policy of conversion of rice to other agricultural products, the output of other products in the region, such as vegetables, is now increasing, though slightly. On the other hand, however, The far greater part of family farms (noka) shows a tendency to depend more and more on various nonagricultural incomes.
2. "Group farming of rice" (Shudan-saibai) done by all the family farms in a hamlet (Buraku), which was formerly prevalent in Shonai Region, has been already disorganized. And cooperative relationships which are now functioning in the hamlet are cooperations among a small number of farms for the specific purposes, like joint utilization of agricultural machinery and group marketing of products. This implies the disorganization of traditional orders of rural society and the formation of the new "rational" relationships.
3. In a farmer's Ie (house or family), there was traditionally the only house-hold economy and the head of family (Kacho) held it in his hands. But recently, though there still remains "the main household economy" which Kacho holds, in addition to it, husband and wife of each generation koep "the other finance" and on that basis they have established a custom of behaving in pairs, like traveling for pleasure. This means the disorganization of the patriarchal order of farmer's "Ie " and the formation of a new type of Ie, as it were, of " Ie as the nuclear families united".