Abstract
The presence of a leader played a crucial role in the development of local identity in the Machi hamlet in the island village of Tashima, Hiroshima. Prefecture. In the early 1900s, the prefecture's fishing-related functional groups (fishermen's associations) had the dual structure of overseeing fishing operations conducted both in local coastal waters and in international waters. The leader in the Machi hamlet had a network wide enough to perceive the disparities among the functional groups, as well as extensive informationgathering capability, enabling him to begin sending groups of emigrants to Manila. The Machi hamlet reorganized its social structure in that direction in its competition with another hamlet that was dependent on the village's fishing association. The local identity of the Machi hamlet became established in the course of the reorganization.
