The 1872 land title certificates and the village-based system of tribute levy

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  • 壬申地券と村請制
  • ジンシンチケン ト ムラセイセイ

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Abstract

This paper reconsiders the meaning of the Jinshin land title certificates, which were issued from 1872 through 1873. The issuance of these Jinshin land title certificates is commonly interpreted as the first introduction of modern property rights, but this interpretation needs to be reconsidered in light of the fact that they were issued in the context of continuation of the village-based system of collective responsibility for the collection of tribute levy. This paper begins with an analysis of the policy making process. It examines the circumstances under which the Ministry of Finance avoided carrying out a new land survey, setting an inspection of the volume of rice to be harvested as its basic principle. This proposal met with sharp criticism from the Ministry of Popular Affairs. This process took place within the context of the abolition of feudal domains and establishment of prefectures. The paper analyzes the records of Miyamae village, Musashi province, in which land title certificates were actually issued. The analysis shows that there was no link between the results of the land survey and the issuing of land title certificates. The village continued to have a collective responsibility for payment of tribute levy and the land areas stated on land title certificates were no more than an indication of the relative ratios of land area per village landowner.

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