柳田国男著 「先祖の話」
Kunio Yanagita, "The Story of Ancestors"
1) What is an ancestor? (Sections 1-8 of this book)
Section 1 "Two-way interpretation":
The word ancestor is interpreted in two ways. One thinks that the only person who was the first in the house was an ancestor. It's a very old man. Therefore, it is the person who naturally appears at the beginning of the genealogy. On the other hand, I believe that ancestors should be worshiped, and that the spirits of those who, if not worshiped in their own homes, have no one to worship anywhere else, that is, their ancestors, always accompany their homes. It is customary since the Meiji era that many people count themselves as the generation from Emperor Kanmu.
Section 2 "One small example":
In Japan, there are many surnames called Fujiwara. Probably more than a million. However, although Fujiwara has a god named Amakoro Hikomei as his ancestor, there is no Mr. Fujiwara who worships this god. There is no house that enshrines Fujiwara no Kamatari as his ancestor. According to the "dignity context", there were many houses of the Sanin style and Uona style in the countryside of the Kanto region. In addition, there is the Hidesato style, and it is said that Ashikaga, Sato's surname, and Hatano's surname are also in that flow. It seems that the flow of the surname Yanagida is Fujiwara no Uona.
Section 3 "The First Generation of the House":
There was a person named Yanagita Yanagita's ancestor, Yanagita's ancestor. He says he talks about his house because he's not proud. He was given the name of offering because he worked for the Utsunomiya family (in Tochigi prefecture) at the end of the Warring States period. After the Utsunomiya family was crushed by Hideyoshi, the superintendent retreated to Moka for farming. When the samurai named Hori, the lord of Moka, was picked up by the lord of Karasuyama of 10,000 stones, the guard became a samurai again. He became a flag servant and received a hundred stones. Therefore, the Yanagita family is the first to make offerings. Anniversary and Dharma names are written on his ancestor shelf. The festival of ancestors was not only a duty of descendants, but also an orthodox right.
Section 4 "Become an ancestor":
There is a word "become an ancestor". It is a honorific title given to those who have the power to establish and perpetuate the family. Half of the Xinhua tribes after the Meiji era were the people who built (became the first) a house in one generation. The plan to have children own a house and enshrine themselves is old-fashioned, but isn't it a moderate idea?
Section 5 "Inheritance system and two types of branch houses": "Primogeniture method" that keeps the foundation of the house thick for the past 300 years or more, and "Split inheritance method" that divides the house and gives property to children equally The two have come side by side. To strengthen the house was to increase the authority of the territory. The share after the second son is small. In particular, the military system of the feudal era was based on the inheritance law of the firstborn, as the territory of the house followed the subordinates. However, according to the tax system of the Meiji government, it is imposed on each house, so it is encouraged to increase the number of houses. Nevertheless, the old family had to work hard to deal with the branch family problem.
Section 6 "Retirement and Room":
In some regions, farmers have a rule that the height of stones per household should not be less than one stone. There is an example of a "retirement" where a parent is separated with a second son or later on a considerable ground and cannot be returned to the original home even if the parent dies. It doesn't matter if you have an old parent or not, calling all the branch houses a retreat. It is a remnant that originally did not allow two houses other than retreat. In some regions, the branch house is called "Heya", and there are cases where a room is built outside the main building or where people live inside the main building. The person who is there is called "living in a room" and is not the husband and wife. There is no branch house that holds an ancestor festival, but the branch house that built the new house had an ancestor festival.
Section 7 "Differences from the past":
The room and the retreat were not originally a branch house. In addition to sleeping and eating together, all the equipment (such as Kamado) that gathered in the main building and worked together at the time of worship was only in the head family. The living complex without a livelihood of independence was a form of a large family system in our country. Mr. Yanagita does not think this is good. We need to improve our lives so that they are better than they are now, but we must record that this was the case.
Section 8 "Thoughts of ancestors":
I can't find a house that is the true head family even in the famous family of Tachibana Genhirato. Mostly they were all branch houses at that time. It only says that the house that serves God is the most popular since the gods. Many of the old branch houses were "development landowners" founded on distant lands. Those inherited from ancestors belong to the head family. Since cutting it will weaken the house, you should be aware of the hardships and thoughts of your ancestors who thought that it would be okay to search for open spaces in the mountains, cultivate them, and give them to the second son and beyond.