Kotsunagi Incident

Japanese: 小繫事件 - こつなぎじけん

This refers to a series of trials over the 50 years from 1917 to 1966 in Kozuke, Ichinohe Town, Ninohe County, Iwate Prefecture, over the existence of common rights. Since the Edo period, the residents of the 30 or so households of Kozuke have made a living by entering the surrounding forests to gather fodder, firewood, charcoal, building materials, and so on. However, when land was divided into public and private ownership after the Meiji Restoration, the forests became privately owned and were placed in the personal name of the land steward. This meant that the person in question was a representative of the residents, but in 1897, the land steward sold it without permission, and in 1907 it was returned to the ownership of Kashimura Kamekichi.

Source: Heibonsha World Encyclopedia, 2nd Edition Information

Japanese:

岩手県二戸郡一戸町小繫で1917年から66年まで50年にわたって争われた入会（いりあい）権の存否をめぐる一連の裁判をいう。小繫の30戸余りの住民は，江戸時代以来周囲の山林に立ち入って，まぐさ，薪炭材，建築材などを採取し，生活を支えてきた。ところがこの山林は，維新後の地所官民有区別の際，民有地となり，地頭であった者の個人名義とされた。それは，住民の代表者という趣旨であるが，その名義人が，1897年に無断で売却し，1907年鹿志村亀吉の所有に帰した。

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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