Abstract
The purpose of this research is to explain the structure and boundary of villages in the early part of modern age. The materials are taken from “Chosokabe Kenchicho” (_??_). In the structure the villages in the Monobe valley zone are in striking contrast to those of Kochi plain. The writer thinks the villages in the valley zone are “Myoteki mura” (_??_) (villages like “Myo”) and those of the plain, villages of “Kyujin” (_??_).
Villages like, “Myo” have many characteristics of medieval “Myo” system. Villages of “Kyujin” which are governed by “Kyujin” came after villages like “Myo” which are governed by “Myoshu” (_??_) “Kyujin” is a “Bushi” (warrior) and farmar. In reality “Myoteki mura” is a village of “Myoshu”, while a village of “Kyujin” is a community made up of a number of independent farmers.
Accordingly, the boundary of “Myotekimura” is settled by the strength of the governor, while that of a villages of “Kyujin” is settled by land.
The writer notices the two factors that caused this social phenomenon. One is productive power of land, and the other is method of farming.
It was due to these two factors that the above-mentioned two kinds of villages came into being.
