Reconsideration of Isigami Research By Aruga Kizaemon: Based on the Tutiya Takao's Field Notes

We aim to reexamine both the distinguished monograph “The large family system and the Nago (serf) system at Isigami hamlet, Ninohe county, Nanbu district" written by ARUGA Kizaemon in 1939, who is one of the founder of Japanese rural sociology, and some field notes and documents by TUTIYA Takao, who is a professor of economic history and participated in this research as a coworker but withdrew from it in midstream.

In this monograph, the serf system which was present at Isigami was investigated and analyzed in detail. From this monograph, ARUGA was going to form the “Douzoku(cognate groups) theory”, which is the base structure of Japanese society.

However, when we read this monograph, we feel Aruga did not pay enough attention to the lacquer ware which a head family of Isigami produced in those days. It is thought that the production using forestry materials such as the lacquer ware or the charcoal was important for the cash income, because in this area the scale of rice fields was not so large. However, ARUGA does not describe the concrete situation of the lacquer ware production. How was the family system related to the lacquer ware production system?

On examining this question, we discovered some field notes and documents of Isigami research by TUTIYA. In this report, we try to consider the following points in reference to these notebooks and other documents. 1) Why did TUTIYA abandon a joint investigation? What was the critical issue for him? 2) In this critical issue, what position does the data of the lacquer ware business occupy? 3) Can we see something new when compared to the monograph by ARUGA?

Through these questions, we try to relativize the Douzoku theory and to examine the dispute over the Japanese capitalism.