Sanden

Originally, it meant "scattering the fields," allocating fields to farmers. In classical manors, which began with the determination and development of uncultivated land, the land itself belonged to the manor lord, and the manor fields were generally scattered. However, as manors with different characteristics were established and their management methods changed, manors appeared where the lord could not freely scatter fields. As a result, the land that the lord could allocate to farmers was limited to the lord's direct territory, and so it is said that scattered fields came to mean the lord's direct territory, but there are still many unknowns.

Furthermore, from the late Middle Ages to the early modern period, land that had no farmers because of confiscation or the death or flight of farmers was also confiscated by the feudal lord and made into direct territory, and was therefore called "scattered fields." In some cases, barren land was also called "scattered fields."

[Hideo Nakano]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

本来は「田を散らす」意で、田地を農民に割り当てること。未墾地の占定とその開発に始まる古典的荘園(しょうえん)においては、土地そのものは荘園領主の有するものであり、荘田は散田されるのを原則とした。しかし、やがて性格の異なった荘園が成立し、その経営形態も変化するに伴い、領主が自由に散田することのできない荘田が出現するようになると、領主が農民に割り当てることのできる土地は領主の直属地に限定されるので、散田は領主直属地を意味するようになったといわれているが、なお不明な点が多い。

　さらに中世後期から近世においては、没収または農民の死亡・逃亡によって耕作者のいなくなった土地も、領主が没収して直属地としたため、散田といわれたという。荒廃地を散田という場合もあった。

［中野栄夫］

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