Public land and citizens - Kochikomin

One of the basic principles of the Ritsuryo system. The Yamato state, on the principle of private land and private citizens, indirectly controlled the land by various powerful clans, except for the direct-controlled territories, and gradually developed a political organization through a hereditary office system. However, in the 7th century, tensions in East Asia increased between China and Korea, and Japan urgently needed to form a strong centralized state in order to strengthen its military power and ensure domestic political stability. For this reason, Prince Nakano Oe, Nakatomi Kamatari, and others first carried out a coup d'état in 645 (Taika 1) to remove the Soga clan, who were trying to maintain the old system, and announced their policy for reforming the national system in the form of the "Imperial Rescript on Reform" in the New Year of the following year (Taika Reforms). This was an attempt to introduce the Chinese Ritsuryo system, adopt the principle of public land and public citizens, make all land (mainly cultivated rice paddies) and people the property of the state, and establish a strong centralized system through bureaucracy. From then on, efforts were made to establish public land and public citizens along this line for about half a century until the enactment of the Taiho Ritsuryo (701). Public land and public citizens are described in the legal text of the Ritsuryo as being owned by the Emperor, but in reality they should be seen as being shared by all the central powerful clans (aristocrats), and their various privileges under the old clan and surname system were secured in various forms. Kubunden was the core of public land, but in addition there were kanden, iden, shikiden, kouden, shoshiden, shositaden, teraden, and shinden. A citizen is a good citizen who receives an allotment of land, is registered in the family register, and pays taxes to the state. This includes the Shinabe and Zakko, but excludes aristocrats and common people. The word citizen has been used since the time of Empress Suiko, but this only refers to the people who belonged to the Imperial Court, such as the Tabe of the Miyake, various occupations, or the Minashiro, and should not be seen as expressing the idea of ​​a citizen under the Ritsuryo Code.

[Hirata Koji]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

律令(りつりょう)制の基本原則の一つ。大和(やまと)国家は私地私民を原則として直轄領以外は諸豪族による国土の間接支配を行い、世襲職制によってしだいに政治組織を整備していったが、7世紀に入って東アジアの緊張が中国と朝鮮の間で高まり、日本は軍事力の強化と国内の政治的安定のために、強力な中央集権国家の形成が急務となった。このため、まず645年（大化1）に中大兄(なかのおおえ)皇子、中臣鎌足(なかとみのかまたり)らは旧体制を維持しようとする蘇我(そが)氏をクーデターによって排除し、翌年正月に国制改革の方針を「改新の詔」の形で発表した（大化改新）。これは、中国の律令制度を導入して公地公民主義を採用し、すべての土地（主として既耕の水田）と人民を国家の領有とするとともに、官僚制による強力な中央集権体制を樹立しようとするものであり、以後、この方向に沿って大宝(たいほう)律令（701）の制定までの約半世紀にわたって、公地公民の確立に努めた。公地と公民は律令の法文上では天皇の所有のような表現がとられているが、現実には中央豪族（貴族）全体による共有とみるべきであり、旧来の氏姓制体制下での彼らの諸特権は、いろいろな形で確保されている。公地の中心をなすのは口分田(くぶんでん)であるが、そのほか官田、位田、職田(しきでん)、功田、賜田、諸司田、寺田、神田があった。公民とは口分田の班給を受け、戸籍に登録されて国家に租税を納める良民をいい、品部(しなべ)、雑戸(ざっこ)もこのなかに含まれているが、貴族や賤民(せんみん)はこれから除外されている。推古(すいこ)天皇のころから公民という語が使われているが、これは屯倉(みやけ)の田部(たべ)や各種の職業部、あるいは御名代(みなしろ)の部のような朝廷所属の民を公民といっているにすぎないので、律令的公民の理念を示したものとみるべきではない。

［平田耿二］

出典　小学館　日本大百科全書(ニッポニカ)日本大百科全書(ニッポニカ)について　情報 | 凡例