Hygienic Studies of Japanese Farming Villages (XX)

Marriage Circle, Consanguineous and Non-consanguineous Marriage

Abstract

In January, 1959, I made researches on the marriage circle as well as the consanguineous and non-consanguineous marriages of all the 444 couples living in Kobori Section (462 houses), Takatsuki-chô, Ikagun, Shiga Prefecture, which section is famous for the long life of its inhabitants. And in May, 1959, I made the same researches of the 197 couples of random sampling living in Asakuni, Shofuku-ji and Iwane villages (330 houses in total) in Iwane Section, Koseicho, Kogagun, in the same prefecture, which section is famous for the short life of its inhabitants. The following are the conclusions arrived at : 1) On the marriage circle by age-groups of males There is a tendency that the younger the age is, the larger the marriage circle becomes in both sections. As to the marriages between the same villagers, the former section shows 20. 72% and the latter section shows 30.46% and the difference between the two sections is statistically significant at the level of 1.0% (X²=6.71>X²_0.01=6.63). On the other hand, as to the marriages between the different villagers or townspeople in this prefecture, the former section shows 27.25% and the latter section shows 19.28%, and the difference between the two sections is statistically significant at the level of 5.0% (X²=4.73>X²_0.05=3.84). Therefore, the marriage circle of the former section is larger than that of the latter. 2) On the consanguineous and non-consanguineous marriage by age-groups of males As to the consanguineous marriage, Kobori Section shows 10.59% and Iwane Section shows 13.71%. The latter section is larger in percentage than the former, though the difference is statistically insignificant. Of the consanguineous marriages, those between cousins are the most numerous in both sections. In the former section 76.6% of the consanguineous marriages (8.11% of all the couples) and in the latter section 77.8% of the same (10.66% of all the couples) are marriages betweencousins. By the age-groups of males, there is no clear distinction between the two sections. 3) On the marriage circle of consanguineous and non-consanguineous marriages The consanguineous marriages of both Kobori and Iwane secions include more marriages between the same villagers than the non-consanguineous ones of them, with statistically significant differences at the level of 1.0% respectively (X= 12.54>X_0.01 = 6.63: X²= 15.69>X²_0.01=6.63), while the non-consanguineous marriages of both Kobori and Iwane sections include more marriages between the different villagers or townspeople in the same prefecture than the consanguineous ones of them, with statistically significant differences at the level of 1.0% respectively (X² = 9.28>X²_0.01 = 6.63: X² = 7.45>X²_0.01 = 6.63). Therefore, in both sections the circle of consanguineous marriages is far narrower than that of non-consanguineous marriages.