Oyago and Edago

the report on relationship between the “mura” and “shindens” through religious service system of Suwa-Taisha

Abstract

I will consider the Onto Service of Suwa-Taisha and the organization of “muras” (villages) which was called the Ontogo, in recent times, pointing at the relations between Konoma mura-Shinsha and its “shindens” in its “zinai”. (village's territory established in Keicho age-about 1600 AC) and I will study the elements which consisted in that organization, and its changes.
Even if shinden-kaihatsu (to bring under cultivation and make new village) was carried out in any ways or under any conditions, it meant to reduce and limit the living basis of farmers in “Koson” (old villages). Therefore it is very important how the farmers in the “Shinden” (new village) established their living basis against the old and obtained approval at last through the lord's authority, and how the feudal lords controlled the old and new villages.
And further, in the circumstances above-mentioned partnerships are given between the farmers in the old and new villages. That is villages-union-tax payment, exaction-charge, commons utilization, irrigations etc. I think it is important what sort of significance the said circumstances had in the relationship between the unions and villages as their elements or changes of them.
I took up especially the Onto-Service and Ontogo (the villages-union organized for Onto-Service) by the following reason.
At first, Suwa-Taisha has been as the uzigami of Shin-shi (Suwa-shi) as well as the “So-chinju” (general and highest rank shrine) of the people in Shin-shi's land. In recent times, the belebration was taken place by 15 villages-unions, Ontogo. Therefore the study of the “koson” and “Shinden” in religious service system is an aid to understand how they admitted each position and their alternation.
I will tell briefly about the Onto-Service and the Ontogo of Suwa-Taisha. The Onto gas elected yearly by the “Kami-Uranai” and it joined all celebrations in that year to service to the Shrine by helping the “Shinshoku”. The religious service system of Suwa-Taisha mainly consisting of the Onto service was affected by the political and social conditions of each period, and so was connected with the social structure. In recent times, the religious service system was represented by the “Ontogo” organized by the daimyo, Suwa-shi.
By the reason above-mentioned, I think when we consider the social relationship between the “mura” and “Shinden” throgh the religsous service system of “Sochinju” in the feudal clan's territory, we should study not only each relationship of “muras”, but also inner structure of a “mura”. In the concrete, we should remark in what position “murayakunins” (village-officers) joining in the Onto-Service, heads of some families, were and how it changed.
Next, in Suwa district most “chinju” in “buraku” (village shrine) had the “Onbashira” celebration every seventh year like Suwa-Taisha, and most “Iezin” (a protecting deity of “maki” -so-called dozuku) had that celebration in smaller scale. That brings a following hypothesis. “These deities for worship of iezins and chinjus are not always same to that of Suwa-Taisha, ” Dr. Ariga said.
Admitting the quotation above, we can make out a part of political system of the “maki”, the “mura”, and Suwa-shi (a daimyo and feudal clan), by considering each religious service system of “iezin”, “chinju”, and Suwa-Taisha, and relationship in each other.
I will treat the said subject with that intention.