抄録
This paper explicates sources on survey errors which has not been made clear sufficiently so far in a composed process on the cadastral system of Japan. The origin of the present system was the grand survey carried out by Taiko Hideyoshi in the 16th century. The purpose of the survey was to evaluate individual land subject to taxation as well as to identify the landowners' names (most of them were farmers). The registered area of respective arable lands was about 10-20 % smaller than its real area. The extra area was called Nawa-nobi which literally meant a stretch of rope for survey.
The author studied the actual level of survey technology, situation of taxation and land use in the Edo period. The result proves that Nawa-nobi was rational actions for the land management system at that time.
