Class-degree kinship system

…In the New Code of Law, those who belong to the first degree of kinship are father, mother, husband, and child, those who belong to the second degree are grandparents, stepmothers, siblings, husband's parents, wife, and concubines, those who belong to the third degree are great-grandparents, cousins, and half-siblings, those who belong to the fourth degree are husband's siblings and brothers' wives, and those who belong to the fifth degree are wife's parents and sons-in-law. The husband is considered to be a first-degree relative, the wife to be a second-degree relative, and the wife to be a second-degree relative on the same level as a concubine. This is completely different from the modern family concept of individual dignity and essential equality of the sexes (Civil Code Article 1-2), and is also called the class-degree kinship system. The New Code of Law is a criminal law and does not directly stipulate civil legal effects, but it is important to note that the family ideas expressed in it are based on the family system in Japan before the modern era and had a major influence on the family provisions of the Meiji Civil Code. …

*Some of the terminology explanations that refer to the "class-degree kinship system" are listed below.

Source | Heibonsha World Encyclopedia 2nd Edition | Information

…新律綱領では，1等親に属するものは父，母，夫，子など，2等親は祖父母，継母，兄弟姉妹，夫の父母，妻，妾など，3等親は曾祖父母，いとこ，異母兄弟姉妹など，4等親は夫の兄弟姉妹，兄弟の妻など，5等親は妻の父母女婿などである。夫は1等親，妻は2等親，しかも妻は妾と同列の2等親とされているなど，現代の個人の尊厳と両性の本質的平等(民法1条ノ2)という家族観念とはまったく異質のものであって，階級等親制とも呼ばれているものである。新律綱領は刑事法であって直接民事法的効果を定めたものではないが，そこに現れている家族思想は，近代以前における日本の家族制度を背景にしたものであり，明治民法の親族規定に大きな影響を与えたものであることに注意する必要がある。…

※「階級等親制」について言及している用語解説の一部を掲載しています。

出典｜株式会社平凡社世界大百科事典 第２版について | 情報