Terauke system

Japanese: 寺請制度 - てらうけせいど

It began as a religious policy in the Edo period, requiring temples to certify that converts were not Christians, and was based on the system of shumon ara-tame (religious reform). Later, temple certificates (certificates issued by temples to certify that a person was a parishioner) became common, and served as identification along with bills issued by village officials when marrying, traveling, moving, or entering employment. Each temple submitted a list of believers to the shogunate and various feudal domains every year, which meant that temples effectively became the institutions that handled family registration affairs, and were subordinate to the shogunate-feudal domain system.

Source: Obunsha Japanese History Dictionary, Third Edition About Obunsha Japanese History Dictionary, Third Edition

Japanese:

江戸時代の宗教政策で，キリシタンでないことを檀那寺 (だんなでら) に証明させる制度
宗門改 (しゆうもんあらため) による改宗者の証明に始まる。のち寺請証文（檀家であることを証明するため寺院が発行した証文）が一般化し，婚姻・旅行・移転・奉公などの際には村役人発行の手形とともに身分証明書の役割を果たした。各寺院は毎年幕府・諸藩に信者の名簿を提出したので，これにより寺院は事実上の戸籍事務取扱い機関となり幕藩支配体制に従属した。

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