Local books - Jikatasho

A general term for books that describe agricultural and civil administration in general during the Edo period. During the Edo period, the word "jikata" was used exclusively to refer to rural areas, and eventually came to mean agricultural and civil administration in general, such as the rice field system and tax system in rural areas. In the mid-Edo period, as the shogunate and feudal domains established their ruling systems, a project to organize and compile traditional customs, precedents, laws, historical facts, etc. was undertaken. Many of the "jikata books" were written by people who were actually in charge of local governance or by agricultural policy scholars, and they provide detailed information on the actual state of local governance, the living conditions of farmers, and the economic conditions of rural areas. For this reason, the "jikata books" came to be used as practical standards or guides by officials at the accounting office and the magistrate's office, as well as by village headmen and village headmen. Furthermore, many "local books" are included in "Encyclopedia of the Japanese Economy" edited by Takimoto Seiichi, "Japanese Economy Series" edited by the same author, and "Early Modern Local Economic Materials" edited by Ono Takeo. Examples include "Hanreiroku" (Regional Legends) written in 1794 (Kansei 6) by Oishi Hisataka, the county magistrate of the Takasaki domain; "Seiyo" (Private Ministry Outline) by Tanaka Kyuugu, which describes tax systems, flood control, station systems, etc.; "Suchi of the Prefectural Governor" by Tanimoto Motonori; "Seikairoku" and "Chihou Mondosho" (Local Mondosho) by Komiyama Mokunoshin (Shosei); "Augmented Rural Theory" written by Komiyama and expanded by Tanimoto Nori and Oishi Hisataka; and "Ochiboshu" (Collection of Local Gleanings) written by a man named Takeyoshi Yasuji. Although not included in the above compilations, other representative "local books" include the "Bokumin Kinkan," a collection of laws compiled by Arai Akimichi for the convenience of later magistrates, the "Tokugawa Bakufu Kenchoryaku," in which Ando Hiroshi explains the actual state of local practice in territories directly controlled by the shogunate and the structure of the tax system, the "Chiho Taigaishu," written by Kato Takafumi, and the "Sanpo Chiho Taisei," published in 1837, edited by Akita Yoshikazu (and reportedly proofread by Hasegawa Hiroshi), which is a mathematical book that explains methods for calculating taxes and simplified surveying methods.

[Chiaki Iijima]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

江戸時代の農政・民政全般について記された著書の総称。江戸時代、「地方(じかた)」の語はもっぱら農村のことをさして使用され、転じて農村における田制、税制など農政・民政全般を意味するようになった。江戸中期、幕府や藩の支配体制が整ってくると、従来の慣例や先例、法令、史実などの整理・編纂(へんさん)事業が進められた。「地方書」の多くは、実際に地方支配を担当した人々や農政学者によって著述されており、そこには地方支配の実態をはじめとし、農民の生活状態、農村の経済状態などが詳しく示されている。このようなことから、「地方書」は勘定(かんじょう)所や代官所の役人、さらには庄屋(しょうや)・名主(なぬし)といった人々に実務遂行上の規範または手引書として利用されるようになったのである。なお、「地方書」は、瀧本(たきもと)誠一編『日本経済大典』、同編『日本経済叢書(そうしょ)』、小野武夫編『近世地方経済史料』に多く収載されている。高崎藩の郡奉行(こおりぶぎょう)大石久敬(ひさたか)が1794年（寛政6）に著した『地方凡例録(はんれいろく)』、田中丘隅(きゅうぐ)が税制・治水・駅制などについて著述した『民間省要(せいよう)』、谷本教(もとのり)の『県令須知(すうち)』、小宮山杢之進(こみやまもくのしん)（昌世(しょうせい)）の『正界録』『地方問答書』、小宮山が著して谷本教と大石久敬の2人が増補した『増補田園類説』、武陽隠士泰路なる人物が著した『地方落穂集(おちぼしゅう)』などはそうした例である。前記編纂物には収録されていないが、荒井顕道(あきみち)が後進代官の便に供する目的で編纂した法令集『牧民金鑑(ぼくみんきんかん)』、安藤博が幕府直轄地における地方実務の実態、税制の仕組みなどを解説した『徳川幕府県治要略(けんちようりゃく)』、加藤高文(たかふみ)が著した『地方大概集(たいがいしゅう)』、租税の計算法や簡易測量法などを解説した算法書の一つである秋田義一(よしかず)編（一説に校閲者長谷川寛の著）『算法地方大成』（1837刊）なども代表的な「地方書」といえる。

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