Local quality - Goushichi

Japanese: 郷質 - ごうしち

A term referring to the private seizure of property by creditors based on the loan relationship in medieval society. When a person belonging to a village owes a debt to a person outside the village and defaults on the debt contract, the creditor, instead of the debtor, privately seizes members of the village to which the debtor belongs, or their movable property, on the grounds that they belong to the same village as the debtor. Originally, in clan-based societies, such pawning was carried out within the scope of blood ties based on the collective joint liability system, but with the establishment of territorial communities, this custom has expanded and been inherited.

Source: Heibonsha World Encyclopedia, 2nd Edition Information

Japanese:

中世社会の貸借関係にもとづく債権者の私的差押え行為をさす語の一つ。ある郷村に所属する人が，その郷村外の者に債務を負い，債務契約不履行の場合，債権者が，債務者本人のかわりに，債務者の所属する郷村のメンバー，またはその動産を，それらが債務者と同一の郷村に所属するという理由で私的に差し押さえる行為をいう。本来氏族制社会において，血縁関係の範囲でこのような集団連帯責任制にもとづく質取り行為が行われていたものが，地縁的共同体の成立とともにその慣習が拡大継承されたものといえる。

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

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