Abstract
1. The emigration of Saké-brewery laborers from Kitakami valley are called “Nanbu-toji” and their numberr are about 2800 annually.
2. Taking, Shiwfan itsr a as an, example, of the most typical village, there can be descerned three types of migration. The first type is that of semonal migration, who constitute 89 percent of the whole. The second is a type of wandering which may be called a “relational emigration” in which laborers are accompanied by all the members of their. family.
3. The third type is the whole year wan Bering. It is an intermediate type between the two types above mentioned, which constitutes 10 parcent of the whole number. “Toji”, who are the host highly specialized Sake-brewery laborers, constitute the greatest part of the third group and most of then are either the heads of the families or their eldest sons who are res-ponsible for their farms.
4. It is why those important members of the family become migratory laborers, that most of th m are qualified as. “Toji” whose income is much larger than of mere farm-laborer. Nothing but the traditional. reasons have to do with the fact that most of the emigrants of this type belong to the upper class of their agrar community.
5. This type of whole-year migration enables the respective family to arrange their family labor most economically, hence it is the most effective, to promote their standard of living.
