小さな共同体の危機対応と日常生活

戦争と水害の記録から

抄録

　　　This paper examines how small communities (villages) in Japan have historically confronted crises such as wars and natural disasters, focusing on the village of Chinai on the shores of Lake Biwa. Drawing on the “Village Diary” (mura no nikki), which has been continuously kept since 1745, the study analyzes the interplay between everyday life, collective norms, and extraordinary events.
　　　During the Asia-Pacific War (1931–45), villages became deeply integrated into the national mobilization system, functioning as local agents of the state. Chinai participated in conscription, resource provision, air defense drills, and patriotic ceremonies, while simultaneously struggling with depletion of manpower and material resources. A central theme is the tension between “national affairs” and “household affairs”: even as villages upheld their role as extensions of the state, internal conflicts emerged over leadership responsibilities, resignations, and the sustainability of local governance. These episodes reveal how communities sought to preserve their own norms and continuity while under severe external pressure.
　　　 Parallel to wartime experiences, the paper explores disaster responses, particularly frequent floods in the Lake Biwa basin. The records illustrate both continuity with premodern practices (such as petitions to officials for relief) and modern transformations following the Meiji state’s institutional reforms. A striking case is the aftermath of the catastrophic 1885 flood, when the village introduced the “Poor Fisher System.” By reallocating communal fishing rights exclusively to impoverished households, Chinai embedded a form of social redistribution into its institutional fabric. This mechanism exemplified what can be termed a “right of survival for the weak,” ensuring that no household would be permanently excluded from securing its livelihood.
　　　In conclusion, the study highlights that small communities confronted crises not simply by absorbing state policies or natural shocks, but by creatively reworking norms, institutions, and communal resources. Crisis responses were rooted in everyday practices and oriented toward maintaining continuity between village, household, and collective survival, revealing resilience as a lived and adaptive process.