DISTRIBUTION AND VARIATION OF POPULATION UNDER THE FEUDAL SYSTEM IN OWARI PROVINCE

Abstract

The author has been studying the distribution and variation of population In the middle of Edo Period by “Junkoki” that is a historical work of Owari Clan. This book was recorded by “Kôko Higuti” (1750-1826) who inspected all the villages within Owari Province. In this “Junkôki” he recorded two sets of population number, the one is of the year of 1671 A. D. and the other is of some year of the early 18 th century. Fig. 1 shows the rates of the increase or decrease of population of each village gained from the comparison of two sets of population noted in “Junkoki.” And the author classified those rates into five classes: 1. Remarkable Increase, 2. Increase, 3. Sluggish Increase, 4 Stagnation, 5. Decrease. Fig. 2 shows the accumlated population on each administrative unit at the time of 1915. Hereupon one can see the regions of increased or, decreased population by these figures. It was the head region of Ise Bay, eastern Highland and Tita Peninsula that increased remarkably in population. Because. the head region of Ise Bay was reclaimed land, this increase of population in this region resulted from the migration of the people from the neighbouring land (Fig. 3). The most of the eastern part of the highland and Tita Peninsula were cleared regions and there were constru-cted many irrigation ponds or canals by which cultivated lands were enlarged and. the population was increased. In this region, there were some industrial centres such as Seto City and its suburbs and Tokoname Town on the west coast of Tita Peninsula, where industries were ceramics, - - - -Arinzatu Town, variegation of cloth, - - - the most part of the peninsula, textile of cotton, - - -Handa City and its neighbourhood brewing --- the coast of peninsula, marine transportation. And these industries had been developed into the stage of“ manufacture” in the middle of Edo Era. Consequently, the development of these industries brought about the increase of population in the districts above mentioned. Contrary to these regions, the middle part of the Owari Plain and the outskirts of Nagoya were the districts of the stagnation or decrease of population. Since agriculture was a principal occupation, having been conti-nuously developed front ancient time, it was impossible to attempt the expansion of cultivated fields, and as the result there was difficulty in increasing the population in this area. In addition to these conditions, the Castle Town of Nagoya was absorbing the rural population, and so it was decreasing remarkably. Besides those regions, the ports on the head of Tita Peninsula, such as Morozaki and Toyohama, lost some of their population for their narrow hinterland and the shortage of cultivated land. The distribution and variation of population under the feudal system were different from those under the capitalistic economic system. These differences are based on the differences of the basic industries and the scale of the cities under these two systems.