Abstract
In Japan, kinship groups have been the main social organization of village life. But, in recent years, these groups have changed due to changes in the geographical environment of the villages. The changes in the kinship group structure of a village, Tokiyama, in the northern part of the Suzuka mountains may be summarized as follows:
(1) In Tokiyama, charcoal making had been the main industry since the Edo Era. On account of this unique industry, Tokiyama was independent, and migrations caused by marriage within the village were more often than migrations to and from other villages. Consequently, villagers had many “Shinseki” (kindred) in this village, and these “Shinseki” formed the social organization in Tokiyama.
(2) In about 1965, because of the Fuel Revolution, charcoal making in Tokiyama began to decline and villagers began to commute to “Town” to work. At the same time, both the population and number of households in this village, and migrations caused by marriage within the village began to decrease.
(3) on account of the decrease in migrations caused by marriage within the village, new “Shinseki” have seldom been made in this village during the past 25 years. And the blood relationship of the old “Shinseki” have become thiner due to the alternation of generations. “Shinseki” in this village have been brought to a crisis of extinction. But because of the decrease of the population and the number of households in this village and the aging of the villagers, “Shinseki” in this village are important for many villagers as their sole support. So the “Shinseki” relationship is maintained, in spite of this crisis. Consequently, the members of “Shinseki” in Tokiyama are fixed and “Shinseki” is essentially changing from a blood relationship to a regional relationship.
