Hanpou (feudal law)

A general term for the laws and regulations enacted by various feudal domains during the Edo period. Originally, a domain meant the territory of a daimyo, but in the latter half of the Edo period, it also came to mean the daimyo's ruling structure. Domain laws were enacted by each domain for the purpose of governing the domain. Since domains accounted for two-thirds of all territories in the Edo period, domain laws were extremely important. However, before World War II, many documents on domain laws were kept secret by the families of the former daimyo, making them difficult to use. After the war, some were transferred to universities for various reasons, and as will be discussed later, collections of domain laws were published, and many domain laws were included in "local histories," making them easier to use.

The feudal domain laws can be said to be the successors of the provincial laws (family laws) of the Warring States period, but their contents, excluding the private aspects of the daimyo's household affairs, can be divided into those related to the feudal system of the domain and those related to the lives of ordinary people. In both cases, some were more influenced by the shogunate than others. The feudal domain laws of the Tokugawa family in Owari are said to be close to the shogunate laws, but the laws of the Satsuma domain, for example, have many unique parts. In any case, if we look at the overall trend, we can say that they gradually became shogunate laws. Large domains have many documents and some have their own unique systems, but many small domains could not do this, and many of them inquired of the shogunate magistrates about how they should be treated and followed their answers. In this respect, too, they were legalized by the shogunate. The publication of "Collected Feudal Laws" is extremely important for the study of feudal domain laws, and the Society for the Study of Feudal Domain Laws has published "Collected Feudal Laws" for various domains, such as Okayama, Kagoshima, and Kanazawa, to facilitate research.

[Ryosuke Ishii]

"Compiled by the Han Law Research Group, 'Han Law Collection,' 12 volumes, 15 books (1959-75, Sobunsha)" ▽ "Edited by Nagasawa Koichi, compiled by the Kyoto University Japanese Legal History Research Group, 'Han Law Historical Materials Collection,' (1980, Sobunsha)"

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

江戸時代、諸藩で行われた法規の総称。藩は元来、大名の領分を意味したが、江戸時代の後半には大名の支配機構をも意味するようになった。各藩が藩治のために制定したものが藩法である。江戸時代の領知のうち3分の2は藩が占めるのであるから、藩法の占める重要性はきわめて大きい。しかし、第二次世界大戦前では、藩法の資料は各旧大名家に秘蔵されるものが多く、これの利用は困難であった。戦後、諸種の事情で大学に移管されるものがあり、別に、後に述べるように藩法集も刊行され、「地方史」に掲載される藩法も少なくなく、その利用は容易になった。

　藩法は戦国時代の分国法（家法）の後身といえるが、その内容は、大名の家政に関する私的な部分を除くと、藩の封建制に関するものと、庶民の生活に関するものとに分けられる。いずれも幕府の影響を受けることの多いものと、少ないものとある。尾張(おわり)の徳川家の藩法は幕府法に近いといわれるが、薩摩(さつま)藩法のごときは独自の部分が多い。いずれにしても、大きな流れに着目すれば、しだいに幕府法化したといえるであろう。大藩には資料も多く、独自の体系をもったものもあるが、小藩ではそういうことのできないものも多く、幕府の奉行(ぶぎょう)に対してどういう扱いをしてよいか問い合わせ、その回答に従ったものも少なくない。こういう面でも幕府法化が行われた。藩法の研究には「藩法集」の刊行がきわめて重要であるが、藩法研究会では、岡山、鹿児島、金沢藩など諸藩の「藩法集」を刊行して、研究の便を図っている。

［石井良助］

『藩法研究会編『藩法集』全12巻15冊（1959～75・創文社）』▽『長沢巷一監修、京都大学日本法史研究会編『藩法史料集成』（1980・創文社）』

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