Handenshujuho (Land distribution law)

This is the basic law of the land system under the Ritsuryo system. The Ritsuryo state placed all rice fields in the country under centralized control, and allocated kubunden (roughly 23 ares) to men and women over the age of six, with two tan (approximately 23 ares) to men and two-thirds of that to women (one-third each of the common people's male and female subjects to household members and private slaves). Kubunden was permitted to be used for a lifetime, and was confiscated upon death. This law was the Handen Shuju Law. This law was the backbone of the Ritsuryo land system, and was established following the example of the Tang Dynasty's equal-field system.

The establishment of the Handen Shuju Law was once thought to have occurred during the Taika Reforms, but in recent times the prevailing view has been that it was actually enacted in the Kiyomihara Code (enacted in 689) after 675 (the 4th year of Emperor Tenmu's reign). This is because, for this law to be put into effect, the public land and public citizen system had to be established, and it is believed that this system was first realized with the abolition of kakibe (a type of private ownership) in 675.

The reasons for the enactment of the Land Distribution Law in the Kiyomihara Code include: (1) the aim was to prevent aristocrats, powerful families, and wealthy peasants from merging land; (2) consideration was given to guaranteeing the peasants a minimum standard of living and at the same time ensuring that there were sources of taxation; and (3) the task facing the reigns of Emperor Tenmu and Empress Jito was to quickly establish a military system in order to deal with the tense international situation, and guaranteeing the peasants a minimum standard of living was necessary for that purpose as well.

So how exactly was the Handen Shuju Law carried out? According to the provisions of the Taiho and Yoro Codes, handen shuju was carried out every six years based on the family register that was created every six years. When the year of the handen shuju arrived, the Left and Right Capital Offices and the Kokushi submitted a report to the Daijokan before January 30th, and from October 1st, the number of fields and the number of people to be allocated were calculated and a register was created. From November 1st, those who would receive the fields (actually the heads of households) were gathered and the allocation began, with the collection being completed by February 30th of the following year. Furthermore, under the Yoro Code, the collection of the kubunden of deceased people was to be carried out in the first year of the handen shuju after their death.

The Handen Shujuho system was in effect for over 200 years, eventually being abolished in the early 10th century during the Engi era (901-923). During this time, the implementation of the Handen Shujuho system rose and fell, and it was carried out more or less as prescribed after its establishment until the beginning of the Heian period. It has been made clear that the last round of land distribution in 800 (Enryaku 19) was the last time that land distribution was carried out nationwide, and thereafter, as control under the Ritsuryo system declined, the implementation of land distribution gradually delayed, and eventually it was not carried out at all.

[Koichi Murayama]

“Research History Group Den Shuju” by Koichi Murayama (1978, Yoshikawa Kobunkan)”

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

律令(りつりょう)制下に行われた土地制度の基本法。律令国家は全国の田を一元的支配のもとに置き、6歳以上の男女に、男子には二段(たん)（約23アール）、女子にはその3分の2（家人(けにん)・私奴婢(しぬひ)には良民男女のそれぞれ3分の1）を口分田(くぶんでん)として班給した。口分田は一生の間使用することを許し、死亡すれば収公した。これが班田収授法である。この法は律令制的土地制度の基幹であり、唐の均田制に倣って制定されたものである。

　班田収授法の成立については、かつては大化改新のときと考えられていたが、近時は、675年（天武天皇4）以降、実際には浄御原令(きよみはらりょう)（689年施行）において制定されたという見解が有力である。というのは、この法が実施されるためには公地公民制が確立していなければならず、その公地公民制は675年の部曲(かきべ)（一種の私有民）廃止によって初めて実現したと考えられるからである。

　班田収授法が浄御原令において制定された事情については、〔1〕貴族や豪族や富裕農民が土地を兼併するのを防ぐねらいがあった、〔2〕農民の最低生活を保証し、あわせて徴税の対象を確保することを配慮した、〔3〕天武(てんむ)・持統(じとう)朝の課題は、緊迫した国際情勢に対処するため軍国体制を早急に形成することにあり、農民の最低生活の保証はそのためにも必要であった、といった点が指摘されている。

　それでは班田収授法は具体的にはどのようにして行われたのであろうか。大宝・養老令の規定によると、班田収授は、6年ごとにつくられる戸籍に基づいて、同様に6年ごとに行われる。班田の年がくると左右京職・国司は正月30日以前にその旨を太政官(だいじょうかん)に上申し、10月1日から田数と班給を受ける人員を計算して帳籍をつくり、11月1日より田地を受ける人（実際には戸主）を集めて班給し始め、翌年2月30日以前に完了する。また死亡者の口分田の収公は、養老令では、死亡後最初の班田の年に行う、というものであった。

　班田収授法の実施された期間は200年以上に及び、10世紀初めの延喜(えんぎ)年間（901～923）に至って廃絶した。この間、班田収授法の施行には消長があり、制定以後、平安時代初頭まではほぼ規定どおり行われたこと、800年（延暦19）の班田を最後として全国一斉の班田は実施できなくなり、以後は律令制支配の衰退に伴って班田の施行はしだいに遅延し、ついにまったく行われなくなっていったことが明らかにされている。

［村山光一］

『村山光一著『研究史班田収授』（1978・吉川弘文館）』

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