Kubunden - Kubunden

This was the central land category in the Ritsuryo land system. It was allocated to all nobles and low-class citizens over the age of six, and confiscated when they died. The amount of the allocation was two tan (about 22 ares) for noble males and two-thirds of that for women (1 tan = 120 bu). The amount of land allocated to official households and public slaves among the low-class citizens was the same as that of noble males and females, but the amount of land allocated to householders and private slaves was one-third of that of noble males and females. The land was imported and, according to the regulations of the Ritsuryo, a land tax of two bundles of rice was to be paid per tan (1 bundle 5 bundles due to the scale of the year 706, the third year of Keiun). The land allocation was carried out once every six years, but in that year, the land of the deceased was collected and allocated to new recipients. Furthermore, the collection provisions of the Taiho Code differed from those of the Yoro Code, in that collection was to take place in the following year only if the first-class member died before the next year.

The head of the household had the right to own the kubunden, but this right was extremely limited. In other words, the use of the kubunden was for life, and disposition of the land was only permitted for one year with the permission of the kokushi or gunji in whose area it was located, and it was only permitted to rent it out (to cultivate it by leasing), and it was not permitted to sell, inherit, or give it away. This weakness of right to own the land was due to the fact that private ownership of cultivated land (paddy fields) by farmers was still immature at the time the land allotment system was implemented.

In the Chinese equal-field system, there was a principle that kobunden (uncovered fields) were only given to those who paid public taxes to the state, but in Japan's kobunden there is no such correspondence between those who were granted land and those who were taxed. In Japan, as is known from the fact that land was also provided to women and children, the state's consideration and involvement in the reproduction of peasant households is clearly evident. This can be said to be a major feature of our land distribution system.

[Koichi Murayama]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

律令制(りつりょうせい)土地制度の中心となった地目。6歳以上のすべての良民、賤民(せんみん)に班給され、死亡すると収公された。班給額は良民の男子は2段(たん)（約22アール）、女子はその3分の2（1段120歩(ぶ)）であり、賤民中の官戸(かんこ)・公奴婢(くぬひ)の口分田は良民男女と同額であったが、家人(けにん)、私奴婢(しぬひ)は良民男女のそれぞれ3分の1であった。輸租田(ゆそでん)で、令の規定によれば1段につき稲2束(そく)2把(わ)の田租を納めることになっていた（慶雲3年＝706年の格(きゃく)により1束5把となる）。班田収授は6年に一度行われたが、その班年に死亡者の分を収公し、新規受給者に班給する形をとった。なお、大宝(たいほう)令の収公規定は養老(ようろう)令のそれと異なり、初班者が次の班年以前に死亡した場合に限り、次の次の班年に収公する定めであったらしい。

　口分田の田主権は戸主にあったが、その田主権はきわめて制限されたものであった。すなわち、口分田の用益は終身間であり、処分については、1年を限り所在の国司・郡司の許可を得て賃租(ちんそ)（賃貸借による耕作）を行うことが認められるのみで、売買、相続、譲与などは許されなかった。このような田主権の弱さは、班田制施行時においてなお農民の耕地＝水田に対する私的土地所有が未成熟であったことに基因している。

　中国の均田制においては、口分田（露田）は国家に対し公課を負担する者のみに支給する、という原則が存在したが、日本の口分田にはそのような授田対象と賦課対象の対応はみられない。日本の場合は、女子、子供に対しても給田していることから知られるように、農民の戸の再生産に対する国家の配慮、関与が明瞭(めいりょう)にみられる。これはわが班田収授制の一大特徴といってよい。

［村山光一］

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