i) Similar facts to those found in the so-calld “plural society” of the white and the native in south-eastern Asia may be observed, in the process of Japanese modernization, everywhere in japan, for instance in the suburbs of some large cities and isolated mountain villages. Especially in Hokkaido social contact and assimilation between the Ainus, the minority, and the Japanese in the process of Japanese colonization provides a typical case of the formation and dissolution of a plural society.
ii) In the commercial colony period before the 17th century the plural society had not yet been formed in Hokkaido, but in the 18th century many fishery colonies were built at different parts on the sea coast of the island and the exploitation colony period then attained continued till the Meiji Era opened. During this period Japanese merchant colonists carried on many fishery colonies employing many native Ainus by compulsion, and as the social contact between Ainus and Japanese became closer and closer, a sort of plural society was formed.
iii) Since the Meiji era, Hokkaido, it may be said, has been an emigration colony of Japan and as the number of the Japanese immigrants there increased rapidly, the Ainus come to form the racial minority. By this time the Ainus had compelled to give up hunting and fishing on which they had once lived and turn to agriculture. Thus they were assimilated economically, socially and culturally with the Japanese. Then the half-breeds between the two races gradually increased, and the plural society entered the stage of dissolution.
iv) This blood-mix process has greatly advanced by to-day, and the present Ainus, whose number amounts to about 17000, are mostly half-breed. But the blood difference that still remains and is taken into consideration in such cases as marriage prevents the complete assimilation of the Ainus with the Japanese. Accordingly the plural society of the two races cannot by expected to disappear completely. In the Biratori district on the Saru River of south-west Hokkaido, a region where large Ainu groups still exist, the above-mentioned process has been most typical. The Ainu people in the district hesitate leaving their native place, chiefly because they have their reserved farm land there, though there are several reasons beside this. Thus the Ainu community is now still maintained there.

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The daimiate (feudal manor of a daimio) was the most important regional unit of the Edo Era. Studying the daimiate, therefore, is essential to throw light on the regional stucture of Japan's historical past.
Many problems, such as comparison of economic policies of various daimiates, or the relations of a daimiate and its castle town, will come into question. This report tries to pursue the problem of the fief system of the daimiate.
In the early feudal age, vassals of a daimio (feudal lord) were generally provided with actual land as fief, while later, in the Edo Era, annual stipend in the form of rice gradually replaced the older method. In the North-Eastern and the South-Western Japan, however, where the clans of the early feudal age still preserved theis rule over the same district, the older fief method remained for a long period. In the case of the Kinki District (central Japan), only the Hikone and the Kii Daimiates retained it.
In the Hikone Daimiate, the samurai (upper-class vassal) was given land receiving uniformly forty per cent of its annual product as fief. As the amount of rice received by each samurai differs depending on the quality of soil at his estate, allotment of land was renewed at the start of the system. Important localities such as principal roads and the villages along the shore of the Lake Bina, were put under direct control of the daimio. Localities in danger of flood or drought were carefully excepted from those prepared for vassals. Also, the estate of a vassal was scattered over several places to avoid concentration. Thus, when a disaster occurred, damages were shared equally by all vassals. Besides, it had an effect of preventing a vassal to become overpowerful in his estate.

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i) In terms of geography, the rural house, especially its roof, is an important key to approach a settlement structure. The roof of a rural house differs from one area to another, as it reflects conditions as well as the specific way of living of the people of an area. It is possible to grasp the typical regional character in the type of roof and arrangement of rooms; also, the dynamic change of life in a rural area, such as pervasion of the use of roof-tiles and the rise and fall of silkworm culture, can be made clear through the roof-type and its change.
The present writer chooses the whole Western Japan an object, examines the distribution of several roof-types, and courses of their circulation, and tries to make clear settlement structures as seen through the roofs.
ii) Roofing material:
More isolated mountain or island villages use more thatched or shingle roofs. Tiled roofs are widely used in industrialized areas; they show the tendency to spread from suburban areas into mountain areas with the development of urbanization and traffic. This tendency will grow stronger in future.
Different roof-tiles are used between each area, reflecting local conditions: the tile-guard and the Iwami red tile in the snowy area of the northern parts (although not so wide spread as in the Tohoku and Hokuriku Districts); windbreaks in the seacoast area (especially in the Pacific Coast). Chinese red tiles in Okinawa are interesting as showing foreign influences.
To a large extent, roofing material is conditioned by economic backgrounds.
iii) Roof-types:
Many types can be recognized: the U. and L. roofs, the conical roof and other varieties beside three fundamental types-the “irimoya” (gabled) roof, the “yosemune” (hipped) roof, the “kirizuma” (barge) roof.
The “irimoya” roof is spread over the Kinki District north of the median dislocation line, eastern Chugoku, north-western Shikoku.
The “yosemune” roof is widely adopted in the Kii Peninsular, western Chugoku, the Shikoku District, and the Kyushu District. It is especially much used along the Pacific Coast.
The “kirizuma” roof is popular in the mountain areas of Tajima, Hyogo Pref., and the Yamato Basin. In Tajima, silkworm culture accounts for its popularity. In Yamato, the “kirizuma” style has developed into the so-called “yamatomune” roof.
The U. type roof, a variety usually called “kudozukuri”, is centered at the Tsukushi Plain in the North Kyushu District. It is called “U” because it has two projections in the rear.
The L. type roof, another variety with one projection in the rear of the house, is found in Kyushu (“kagiya”), in the Kochi Plain (“magariya”), and on the Tamba Plateau (“tsunoya”). Old families often adopt this roof-type.
The “futamunezukuri” roof, where the main body of house and the kitchen are separated, is found in Kagoshima down to Nansei Islands. This roof-type is originated in the Micronesian and the Melanesian Islands.
The conical roof is found in Okinoerabu and Yoron, the islands situated at the southernmost tip of Japan.
iv) As shown here, roofs in Western Japan richly vary in type. They are further varied by the use of different ridge pressings (decorative). The distribution of these roof-types, remarkably correspond with distinctive areas. It further coincide with topographical districts.
The mixture of two or more types as well as the transformation of a type is seen where two distributional areas meet. Social changes have at places resulted in changes of roof-type. Adaptation to climatic conditions has also contributed to improving the roof. At defiles and mountain passes, the course of circulation of each roof-type can be traced.

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