Terminally ill adopted child - Matsugo Yohshi

Under Edo Shogunate law, adoption was a sudden application made by a samurai when he was suddenly ill and in critical condition. At first, the Shogunate did not permit applications for adoption at such a critical time, but this led to the downfall of many feudal lords' families and the emergence of many ronin, which was thought to have been the cause of the incident involving Yui Shosetsu in 1651 (Keian 4). Therefore, the Shogunate relaxed this prohibition in the same year and permitted terminal adoption only for those under 50 years of age. Later, the requirement was changed to 17 years of age or older. Applications for terminal adoption had to be submitted while the adoptive father was alive, but this sometimes led to problems such as the application being submitted after the father's death, so when a request was submitted, the Shogunate would send an official to visit the sickbed, make sure the adoptive father was alive, and ask for confirmation that the request was genuine. This is called hangen-kento.

[Ryosuke Ishii]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

江戸幕府法上、武士が急病危篤の際に急速に願い出る養子である。初めこのような急迫の時期に養子を願い出ることを幕府は許さなかったが、このために大名の家がつぶれて浪人が多く生じ、1651年（慶安4）の由比正雪(ゆいしょうせつ)の事件もこれが原因であると考えられたので、幕府は同年この禁令を緩め、50歳以下の者に限り末期養子をすることを認めた。のちには17歳以上の者たるを要すことになった。末期養子の願い書は、養父の生前に提出しなければならなかったが、ときにその死後に提出されるなどの弊害があったので、願い書が提出された場合、幕府は吏員を派遣して、病席に臨み、養父の生存を見届け、願い書の真偽をたださしめることが行われた。これを判元見届という。

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