The results of an experimental test for verifying the hypothesis that the common of all living organisms (universal , commonote) was a hyperthermophile (Miyazaki, et al., 2001), are explained. In the experiment, mutant enzymes with ancestral aminoacids were made using a gene engineering technique. The mutant enzymes were purified and tested for thermostability. The mutant enzymes with ancestral aminoacids showed higher thermostability than the contemporary hyperthermophile enzyme. The results suggest that the common of all living organisms was a hyperthermophile. The argument related to the hyperthermophilic common hypothesis was reviewed with respect to the experimental test.

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Almost all the Ottoman historians of the 15^th century claimed that the Ottoman dynasty stemmed from Japheth, the son of Noah. Japheth was generally regarded as the of the Turks in Muslim historiography. That is why the Ottoman historians accepted Japheth as their , although the descendents of Japheth were less respected than those of Shem, from whom the Prophets originated.
 In the second half of the 15^th century, however, Oruç and Giese Anonymous quoted a hadith that “the descendents of Issac will conquer Constantinople” and mentioned that the Ottoman Sultans came from Issac, who was a descendent of Shem.
 In 1480's, Saltuk-nâme and Oxford Anonymous claimed Esau, who was a son of Issac and the brother of Jacob, to be the Ottoman . The authors of these books narrated that the sons of Esau would be a king because Issac prayed to God for Esau. It appears that this account was based on the former Muslim historians like Mas‘udi and also that Esau was more respected than Japheth. Besides, Esau was also regardeed as the of the kings of Rum. Though “Rum” originally signified Roma, the Ottoman Sultans were the kings of Rum at that time. That might have helped the Ottoman historians to accept Esau as the of the Ottoman dynasty.
 During the late reign of Bayezit II, three historians, Rûhî, Bitlîsî and Kemâlpasazâde strongly claimed that Esau was the of the Ottoman dynasty. Though they also briefly mentioned Japheth, they considered the Esau origin more important. The higher authority of Esau made the Ottoman historians of this period accept Esau as the . Nevertheless, after the reign of Bayezit II, the Ottoman historians accepted the Japheth origin again, because Japheth was “the authentic ” according to the Islamic tradition. The changes in the Biblical origin of the Ottoman dynasty might reflect the development in the identification and legitimizastion of the Ottomans.

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It has been said that patrilineal descent system and patriarchal family structure is closely bound up with an ancestral cult. This holds true for Japan. worship is the key foundation of ie (household) and dozoku (a form of lineage). Ie and dozoku is in close contact with worship. The writer's main purpose is to analyze worship in the structural context of ie and dozoku. In order to make clear this, it is necessary for him to discuss ie and dozoku.
In the first place, the theories of dozoku by both Prof. Ariga and Prof. Kitano are discussed together with patronage and kinship system in rural Japan. Through this discussion, dozoku is defined as follows : dozoku is a group of households which recognize mutually not only their genealogical relationship in terms of their origin and the branches derived from it, but also their respective statuses and roles ; it performs unitary functions as a corporation on the basis of their relationship.
In the second place, ie is defined as a corporation and a durable unit, which is conceived as persisting through time by the succession of its members. Then worship is analyzed in the socio-cultural context of ie. Through this analysis, it is pointed out that worship is, in essence, the ritualization of filial piety and that in Japan, too, are not only benevolent but punitive, though not capricious.
In the next article, it will be made clear through case analysis of dozokus in a mountain village in Okayama Prefecture that dozoku is a form of a corporate lineage and that worship solidifies the dozoku solidarity and serves as foci of dozoku.

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The concept of "cemetery" in Japanese law, the ground which build graves, has been affected by the idea of worship, because the Code Civil of Japan positioned the graves as a device for religious services, which are entrusted with his descendant, and the graves which buried are reburied as the unrelated grave, if the descendant disappear.
In Europe, the burial laws have regulations about "burial compulsion" and "burial duty", but in Japan the decisions whether the dead should be buried, are referred with his family or his descendant.
The current system of Japanese burial and cemetery is not be effective, because it is not possible to produce an Atotsugi (successor), the continuation of religious worship is threatened due to the changing family structure and a declining birth rate.

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While the property rights of men and women have been the cause of disputes in pre-modern Vietnam, many scholars have paid attention only to the quantity of land divided between men and women. Of the property for worship, scholars have paid attention only to ‘fire and incense’ (hương hỏa), a kind of property for worship inherited by mainly men. To better understand women’s status in Vietnamese society much, this article examines the inheritance of another kind of property for worship－anniversary rice fields (kỵ điền)－and women’s role in worship. In pre-modern Vietnam, daughters sometimes received equal rights of ownership or cultivation of anniversary rice fields as sons. In exchange for receiving anniversary rice fields, daughters had duties to worship their ancestors. Parents sometimes stipulated in testaments that both sons and daughters should fulfill the duty of worship equally and forever. Even after marrying out, daughters continued to fulfill their duties of worship with their husband and children or grand-children. In some cases, children and grand-children inherited their mother’s anniversary rice fields in order to continue to worship their mother’s ancestors, contrary to the Confucian patrilineal norm. From the anthropological point of view, this phenomenon also represents an -centered kinship idea similar to cognatic stock, rather than an ego-centered idea such as kindred.

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