Historical research on people dying in streets(Yukidaore) , social supporting and administrative relief for them since early modern times to modern times in Japan

2020 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 18K00948
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Review Section: Basic Section 03020:Japanese history-related
• Research Institution: The Institute of Buraku Problem
• Principal Investigator: FUJIMOTO Seijiro 公益社団法人部落問題研究所, その他部局等, 研究員 (40127428)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): 竹永 三男 公益社団法人部落問題研究所, その他部局等, 研究員 (90144683)
• Project Period (FY): 2018-04-01 – 2021-03-31
• Keywords: 行き倒れ / 乞食非人 / 旅人病人 / 四国遍路 / 行旅病人 / 行旅死亡人 / 木賃宿 / 浮浪者

Outline of Final Research Achievements

This research brought out two social issues related to nomads to collapse and dying in streets (Yukidaore) from Tokugawa period to modern times. Firstly, we analyzed their peculiarities in Chugoku, Shikoku and other religions in Edo Period. Our study exposed how to relief and treat peasants, townsmen, travelers and beggars when they almost died based on public idea “Shohrui-Awaremi” enacted by the fifth Shogun Tokugawa Tsunayoshi and mutual aid among people at pre-modern times. Especially, we could make clear concrete facts of treatment of beggars in Osaka City. Secondly, we verified statistics in modern Japan relevant to above-mentioned nomads and did statistical analysis focusing on difference between men and women for we attempted to expose reality and specialty of them. We could elucidate their social situation in Tokyo where had had most relief population of them since Meiji period to wartime of World WarⅡ and social background to emerge numerous of them.

Free Research Field

日本近世史

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

近世になると古代の死穢意識が薄まり、縁者以外の死体処理が可能となり、行倒死人処理が実行されるようになった。また18世紀以降、旅行病人が多く生じるようになり、「生類憐み」理念に基づき、かつ身分的性格をもつ旅行病人に対して療養システムが形成され、幕末まで続いた。近代になると、人々の自由な移動によって東京を終着点とする「人の移動の全国的構造」が漸次形成され、移動を前提とした「行き倒れ」対応法制が制定されたが、救護・取扱の責任は「行き倒れ」地の市区町村、その財政負担は当該府県に委ねられたことにより、府県間の矛盾が醸成された。本研究によって「行き倒れ」諸現象の歴史的展開の解明が飛躍的に進展した。