Five people group - Goningumi

The lowest level administrative organization in villages and towns in the Edo period. In villages, the honbyakusho (main farmers) and in towns, the iemochi (landlords) and ineushi (household heads) were formed, each consisting of five neighboring households. The function of the Goningumi was for the members of the group to jointly assume responsibility for paying taxes and maintaining public order. If anyone in the group failed to pay taxes or eloped, the group was held responsible for paying them back. If there was a criminal in the Goningumi, they were forced to inform on him, and if they knowingly failed to do so, they were punished. They were also forced to monitor each other in their daily lives, and were held jointly responsible for the transfer of land, such as pawning. On the other hand, although the Goningumi peasants also provided mutual assistance in their daily lives, the group was more of an organization for controlling and monitoring the peasants.

The Goningumi were originally established as a self-defense organization for farmers during the Warring States period, but Toyotomi Hideyoshi made them an administrative organization for the whole country, and in 1597 (Keicho 2) he established rules, forcing samurai to form Goningumi and farmers and townspeople to form Juningumi, and also established sanctions. The Edo Shogunate followed this system, issuing many laws and establishing it as a system by the mid-17th century. It was in 1655 (Meireki 1) that Goningumi registers, which clearly indicated the Goningumi organization, were established nationwide. The Edo period had a system for controlling farmers called the Shumon Ninbetsu Aratamae System (Terauke System) due to the prohibition of Christianity, but the Goningumi system was an even more effective system for monitoring the lives of farmers from the inside, in addition to the Shumon Ninbetsu Aratamae System.

The system of neighborhood associations (lower-level organizations such as neighborhood associations) that was established just before the Pacific War was also modeled after the Gonin-gumi and Junin-gumi.

[Uesugi Masahiko]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

江戸時代の村や町における最末端の行政組織。村では本百姓(ほんびゃくしょう)、町では家持(いえもち)（地主）、家主(いえぬし)をそれぞれ近隣の5戸ずつを原則として組み合わせて構成した。五人組の機能は、年貢納入、治安維持につき組の構成員が連帯責任を負うところにあり、組内に年貢不納の者や欠落(かけおち)をする者が出ると、組として弁済の責任を負わされ、また五人組内に犯罪者がいるときは、密告を強制され、知りながらそれを怠ると処罰された。また日常生活で相互に監視しあうことを強いられ、質地などの土地移動でも連帯責任を負わされた。その反面、五人組の百姓は、仲間として日常生活での相互援助も行ったが、どちらかといえば農民の支配や監視のための組織という性格が強かった。

　五人組はもとは戦国時代の農民の自衛組織として成立したが、豊臣(とよとみ)秀吉がこれを全国に行政組織とし、1597年（慶長2）に掟(おきて)を定め、侍には五人組、百姓・町人は十人組をつくらせ、制裁規定も定めた。江戸幕府はこの制度を踏襲し、17世紀中ごろまでに多くの法令を出し、制度として整備した。五人組の組織を明示した五人組帳が全国に整備されるのは、1655年（明暦1）のことであった。江戸時代の農民の統制の制度としては、キリスト教禁止を理由とする宗門人別改(しゅうもんにんべつあらため)制度（寺請(てらうけ)制度）があるが、この五人組の制度は、それと並んで、農民生活をその内部から監視する制度として、それ以上に有効な制度であった。

　太平洋戦争直前に設置された隣組（町内会などの下級団体）の制度も、この五人組、十人組を原型とするものであった。

［上杉允彦］

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