日本の農山村に於けろ配偶決定の要因について

抄録

1. Village Miwa, Nagano Prefecture, where the Sekiguchis live, is a typical rural community in a highland district of Central Japan. A survey showed 20.5% of the whole couples in this village were of consanguineous marriage, including that between second cousins and of nearer relations.
2. Further detailed survey involving 149 consanguineous couples and as many nonconsaguineous couples revealed various features of marriage customs concerning matrimonial selection.
3. Selection is done by other persons in 60-70% of marriages on the male side, in more than 80% on the female side. In most of the cases the father or the parents are responsible for the selection.
4. Comparison between consanguineous and non-consanguineous marriages as to various criteria considered in the matrimonial selection disclosed a most probable primary reason for the appalling frequency of the consanguineous marriage. It is the sentiment of unity, involving various units of community formation. This is actually sentiment lying on the bottom of morals and customs of the Japanese race. As characteristics of community structure in Japan, stratification by traditional social ranking and segmentation by personal familiarity or relationship are very conspicuous; and these are conditioned by sentiment of unity of the group as against the remaining part of the public.
5. Much is not expected, therefore, from eugenic attempts in the form of mere intellectual dissuation toavoid consanguineous marriage, sofar as the custom in rural Japan is concerned.