Kindred - Dodoku

Abbreviation for "dozokudan" (family group). Under the "ie" system, a group formed by a family alliance in which the main family and the branches connected to it mutually recognize the lineage relationship between the main family and the branch families. The branch families included not only kinship branches, as recognized in the Meiji Civil Code, but also servant branches (non-kinship branches), which were not recognized as branches under the Civil Code. In this respect, there is some hesitation in considering the family as a type of kinship group, but as long as cases where various "adoptions" are seen as kinship groups, the family that has the characteristic of possibly including servant branches may also be called a kinship group.

Even if male lineage is relatively common, strictly speaking it cannot be called a patrilineal family group, and it is better to consider it as a type of non-unilineal family group, because a daughter of a family may marry a man from another family and become the next head of the family or the first head of a branch family, or a live-in servant may marry a woman and start a separate family (a servant branch family). What connects the main family and the branch family is that the branch family was founded with the main family as its mother, and that the branch family has its origin in the main family, that is, the "origin of the family." This is called the "genealogical relationship" between the families. Just like the main family, once a branch family is established as a family, it will continue to exist for as many generations as possible, and as long as it does, the main family and the branch family will try to maintain their genealogical relationship. Not only the branch family that branched off directly from the main family, but also the branch family from the branch family has a genealogical relationship that connects not only to the branch family that is the direct main family, but also to the main family that is the main family of the main family. As mentioned above, there were not only family branches but also servant branches, and even cases where a branch family would ask a powerful family to become the main family and then join that family, known as a 'depending main family'.

Family alliances of various sizes, with the main family having authority and power at the top and various branch families under its protection, were seen in various forms among samurai, merchants, and farmers, and characterized the structure of Japanese society in the past.

[Takashi Nakano]

"The Japanese Family System and Tenant System, Volumes 1 and 2" (edited by Nakano Takashi et al., Collected Works of Ariga Kizaemon I and II, 1966, Miraisha)" ▽ "The Basic Theory of Family and Kinship, by Kitano Seiichi (1976, Miraisha)" ▽ "Kinship Organizations and Village Life, by Oikawa Hiroshi (1967, Miraisha)" ▽ "Studies on Merchant Kinship Associations, Volumes 1 and 2, by Nakano Takashi (2nd edition, 1978, 1981, Miraisha)"

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

同族団の略称。「家(いえ)」制度のもとで、本家とこれにつながる分家の家々が、本家・分家の系譜関係を互いに認め合って構成している家連合による集団。分家には、明治の民法でも認めたような親族分家だけでなく、民法上では分家とは認められなかった奉公人分家（非親族分家）をも含むことがみられた。この点で、同族を親族集団の一種とみなすことには躊躇(ちゅうちょ)もされるが、多様な「養取」のみられる場合をも親族集団とみなす限りにおいては、奉公人分家を含みうるという特徴をもつ同族をも親族集団とよんでもよい。

　家付き娘に他家系から婿取りして次代家長夫婦としたり分家初代としたり、住込み奉公人に嫁をとって別家（奉公人分家）としたりすることなどから、たとえ比較的多く男系の継承がみられるにしても、厳密には父系親族集団とはいいがたく、むしろ非単系親族集団の一種とみるほうがよい。本家・分家のそれぞれの間を結び付けているのは、その本家を母体として分家が創設されたこと、分家がその創立の由来をその本家にもつこと、すなわち「家の出自」である。これを家々の間の「系譜関係」とよぶ。分家も本家同様に、いったん家として成立すれば、可能な限り幾代にもわたり家は存続し、存続する限り、本家・分家はその系譜関係を維持しようとする。本家から直接分かれ出た分家だけでなく、分家からの分家もまた、その直接の本家たる分家だけでなく、本家の本家である総本家につながる系譜関係をもつ。前記のように親族分家だけでなく奉公人分家もあり、さらには「頼み本家」といって、有力家に依頼して本家となってもらい、その分家に加わる場合さえある。

　権威と実力をもつ本家を頂点とし、その庇護(ひご)を受ける多様な分家の従属によってなる大小の同族という家連合体は、武家にも商家にも農家にもそれぞれの形でみられ、過去の日本社会の構造を特徴づけた。

［中野　卓］

『『日本家族制度と小作制度　上下』（中野卓他編『有賀喜左衞門著作集Ⅰ・Ⅱ』1966・未来社）』▽『喜多野清一著『家と同族の基礎理論』（1976・未来社）』▽『及川宏著『同族組織と村落生活』（1967・未来社）』▽『中野卓著『商家同族団の研究』上下（第2版・1978、1981・未来社）』

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