Exile - Rukei

A punishment in which criminals are sent to rural areas, especially to remote areas or islands, and forced to settle there. While this is of course painful for the criminal, its main purpose is thought to have been to isolate the criminal in a remote location. It is well known that in Europe, Russia used Siberia as a penal colony, and Britain used Australia as a penal colony, but Napoleon I was also exiled to St. Helena. China also had a system of exile for a long time, and it was not until the "New Temporary Penal Code" came into effect in 1912 that it was completely abolished.

In Japan's Yoro Code (718), exile is one of the five crimes. It is the second most severe punishment after the death penalty, and there are three levels: nearby exile, middle exile, and far exile. According to the Engishiki (enacted in 967), Echizen Province (Fukui Prefecture) and Aki Province (Hiroshima Prefecture) were nearby provinces, Shinano Province (Nagano Prefecture) and Iyo Province (Ehime Prefecture) were middle exile provinces, and Izu Province (Shizuoka Prefecture), Awa Province (Chiba Prefecture), Hitachi Province (Ibaraki Prefecture), Sado Province (Niigata Prefecture), Oki Province (Shimane Prefecture), and Tosa Province (Kochi Prefecture) were far exile provinces. Those who were exiled were forced to do hard labor at the exile station for one year, but when their labor was over, they were registered in the family register at their exile station and were given land as citizens. They had to bring their wives and children with them to the exile station. This could be seen as a case of lenient sympathy, but it could also be seen as a case of forcing wives and children to live together. Exile also occurred in the Middle Ages, but in the case of samurai, exile was considered the second most severe punishment after the confiscation of land, as can be seen from the fact that those who had no land to confiscate were exiled. In the Edo period, exile was called "ento" (far island), and was considered the second most severe punishment after the death penalty. As the word "ento" suggests, it was literally exile to an island, but since the living conditions were poor, it was a much more cruel punishment than exile in the past. When an exile escaped from an island, it was called "shimanuke," and if he was caught, he was sentenced to death on the island.

In the Meiji era, the Provisional Penal Code of 1868 (Meiji 1) initially provided for three classes of exile: far, middle, and near, and later three, five, and seven years, but the New Code of Penalties enacted in 1870 provided for three classes of exile: one, one and a half, and two years. In either case, the inmates were transferred to Hokkaido to serve in the country, and upon completion of their service, they were registered in the local family register and allowed to pursue a profession. Under the old Penal Code enacted in 1882, there were two types of sentences for dispatch to islands (Hokkaido): hard labor and exile. Hard labor was applied to non-state offenses, and inmates were made to serve fixed labor. Exile was only applied to state offenses, and inmates were confined to prison, but were not made to serve fixed labor. The terms of both sentences were life or fixed term (12 to 15 years). With the enactment of the current Penal Code in 1908 (Meiji 41), exile was completely abolished.

[Ryosuke Ishii]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

犯罪人を地方、ことに辺境または島地に送り、定住させる刑。犯罪人にとってもちろん苦痛であるが、おもな目的は犯罪人を遠地に隔離する点にあったと考えられる。ヨーロッパではロシアがシベリアを、イギリスがオーストラリアを流刑地としたことは有名であるが、ナポレオン1世がセント・ヘレナに流されたのも流刑である。中国でも古くから流刑の制はあり、完全に廃止されたのは、1912年施行の「暫行(ざんこう)新刑律」によってである。

　日本の「養老(ようろう)律」（718）では、五罪（五刑）の一つに流罪がある。死刑に次ぐ重刑で、近流(こんる)・中流(ちゅうる)・遠流(おんる)の三等がある。『延喜式(えんぎしき)』（967年施行）によれば、越前(えちぜん)国（福井県）・安芸(あき)国（広島県）などが近流の国、信濃(しなの)国（長野県）・伊予国（愛媛県）などが中流の国、伊豆国（静岡県）・安房(あわ)国（千葉県）・常陸(ひたち)国（茨城県）・佐渡国（新潟県）・隠岐(おき)国（島根県）・土佐国（高知県）などが遠流の国とされた。配流された者は、配所で1年間労役させられるが、役が終われば、それぞれの配所で戸籍に載せられ、公民として口分田(くぶんでん)を給された。配流地には妻子を伴わなければならなかった。これは一面では温情主義によるものともいえるが、妻子を縁坐(えんざ)させたともいえよう。中世でも流罪は行われたが、武士の場合、没収すべき所領のない者を流罪に処したことからもわかるように、流罪は所領の没収に次ぐ刑とされた。江戸時代には流刑は遠島(えんとう)とよばれ、死刑に次ぐ重罪とされた。遠島ということばの示すように、文字どおりの島流しであるが、生活条件の悪い島に流されるのであるから、上世の流罪よりもはるかに残酷な刑だったといえよう。流人(るにん)が島から脱走することを「島抜け」といい、捕らわれればその島で死刑に処せられた。

　明治時代になってからは、1868年（明治1）の仮刑律は、最初、遠・中・近流の三等、のちに3年・5年・7年の3等の流刑を定めたが、70年制定の新律綱領では、1年・1年半・2年の3等の流刑を定めている。いずれも北海道に移して役させるのであるが、役が終われば、その地の戸籍に編入し、生業を営ませた。82年施行の旧刑法では、島地（北海道）に発遣する刑に徒刑と流刑があった。徒刑は非国事犯に適用され、定役（強制労働）に服させる。流刑は国事犯にだけ適用され、獄に幽閉するが、定役には服させない。刑期はいずれも無期と有期（12年以上15年以内）であった。1908年（明治41）現行刑法の施行とともに流刑はまったく廃止された。

［石井良助］

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