Young people group - Wakamonogumi

Japanese: 若者組 - わかものぐみ

An age group organized by young men. It corresponds to the Musumegumi, which is made up of adult women. It was the core of the hierarchical age groups of Kodomo-gumi, Wakamonogumi, Churo-gumi, and Toshi-gumi, and there were also cases where only the Wakamonogumi existed without other age groups. Its origins are said to be in youth organizations such as Routou in the Kamakura period. However, there are also many theories that it dates back even further. After the 1890s, due to the government's local improvement movement, it changed into Youth Associations and then Youth Organizations, but it retained its old traditions for a long time.

[Takeda Dan]

name

In addition to the Wakamonogumi, there were also Wakashugumi, Wakashugumi, Wakamonogatari Renchu, Wakagumi, and Wakaren. In the Tohoku region, they were called Wakamonogatari, Wakashukeiyaku, Wakaze, and Wakaseidan, in the Kinki region they were called Wakaju, in the Kyushu region they were called Wakade, Wakadegumi, Nisegumi, and Niseshu. There were also names that focused on function, such as emergency officer, self-manager, firefighter, palace guard, and palace care.

[Takeda Dan]

Organization

The Wakamonogumi was itself an age-group with a hierarchical structure, and its internal organization was also highly hierarchical. New recruits were called "ko-wakanshu" (young youth group) and served as errand boys, eventually moving up through the ranks of Chu-wakanshu and Churo (middle elders) to the higher ranks of Sukuro (chief elders), with the head of the youth group and other officials usually being selected from the oldest age group. Order in the Wakamonogumi was maintained solely by a hierarchy based on age and experience, regardless of individual ability, origin, or wealth, and those who broke the rules and disrupted order were punished. The most severe punishment was the severance of ties and expulsion, such as hachibu, chogashi, and kumihabuki, and in such cases reinstatement was only possible if the member submitted a written apology or had an intermediary apologized.

[Takeda Dan]

function

Youth groups often played a part in village self-governance by taking part in firefighting, security, shipwreck rescue, and playing leading roles in festivals. It was also not uncommon for them to take the lead in productive activities, such as afforestation in mountain villages and net fishing in fishing villages. They were particularly involved in marriages, and in some areas a wedding could not begin unless the head of the youth group was present. However, such involvement was more characteristic of small groups or individuals among the group members than of the youth group itself, and self-governance in lodgings and the custom of "bride stealing" were nothing more than expressions of the bonds formed by friends.

[Takeda Dan]

Joining/Leaving

Most newcomers joined at around 15 years old, according to the Japanese age reckoning system. This coincided with the age at which one reaches adulthood and becomes a full-fledged member of the group, and in some cases joining the group was the same as the coming-of-age ceremony, which had the meaning of a so-called initiation. The ceremony was held at a youth hostel before the first gathering of the New Year or a festival, and the newcomer sat in front of the older members and was taught the rules that one should follow as a member of the group. In the youth group, etiquette, manners, status, and customs were strictly regulated. Newcomers were given various tests to undergo, and various training was given to quickly become full-fledged members both physically and mentally. This was because once one joined the youth group, they were allowed to participate in village gatherings, village work, and festivals, and were also allowed to go to lodgings and move on to romance and marriage. Joining was usually compulsory for all young people in a village, but there were differences in the rights and obligations surrounding joining the youth group depending on the place; for example, the children of the village headman, village headman, and fisherman were exempt from joining, or only the eldest son was allowed to join while the second son and below were excluded. Compared to joining, leaving was easy and no elaborate ceremony was observed. However, the conditions and age for leaving were not necessarily uniform depending on the place; in most cases it was upon marriage or turning 25, but there were also some areas where leaving was not permitted until the age of 35-42. The reason why people were kept in the youth group until an older age was because it was necessary to secure a certain number of people for duties such as firefighting and civil defense, and this was widely seen in the Tohoku region.

[Takeda Dan]

Youth hostel

Young men's groups usually had lodgings for meetings, training, work, entertainment, sleeping, etc., and these were generally called young men's lodgings. They were equivalent to the daughter's lodgings of the daughter's groups. Lodgings for sleeping were called sleeping lodgings or lodgings. When there were no dedicated buildings for these lodgings, shrines, temples, or the private homes of the young men's leaders were used, but it was common to rent a room in a private home for a sleeping lodging. Young men's lodgings were the starting point of young men's group activities, and in a sense they presented the impression of a different world, far removed from home and the village. However, sleeping lodgings were outside the control of the young men's group, and in many places they were left to the self-governance of the young men who used them, such as tsure, houbai, and doshi. In general, young men's groups were fairly tolerant of relationships between unmarried men and women.

[Takeda Dan]

"A History of Japanese Youth" by Nakayama Taro (1930, Shunyodo Shoten)" ▽ "A Study of the Youth System" (1936), compiled and published by the Research Department of the Greater Japan United Youth League" ▽ "Folklore Surrounding Young People and Girls" by Segawa Kiyoko (1972, Miraisha)" ▽ "An Introduction to the Study of the History of Youth Groups, Volume 1" by Hirayama Kazuhiko (1978, Shinsensha)" ▽ "A Study of Youth Groups" by Amano Takeshi (1978, Kashiwa Shobo) ▽ "Youth Folklore - Customs Surrounding Young People and Girls" by Amano Takeshi (1980, Pelicansha)

[Reference] | Daughter group

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

Japanese:

青年男子によって組織された年齢集団。成年女子による娘組に対応する。子供組、若者組、中老(ちゅうろう)組、年寄組と階梯(かいてい)的な年齢集団の中核を占め、他の年齢集団を欠いて若者組だけ存在する場合もみられた。その起源は、鎌倉時代の郎党(ろうとう)など若者組織に求められるとされる。しかし、さらに古くさかのぼるとする説も少なくない。明治30年代以後、政府による地方改良運動により青年会、ついで青年団へと変遷していったが、なお長く旧来の伝統をとどめた。

［竹田　旦］

名称

若者組のほか若衆組、若い衆組、若者連中、若組、若連などもあった。東北地方では若者契約、若衆契約、また若勢(わかぜ)、若勢団、近畿地方では若中(わかじゅう)、九州地方では若手、若手組、また二才(にせ)組、二才衆などともよばれた。ほかに非常番、自身番、消防、宮守、宮世話など機能に注目した名称もあった。

［竹田　旦］

組織

若者組はそれ自体が階梯的な年齢集団であるとともに、内部組織もきわめて階梯的であった。新入りは小若い衆などとよばれて使い走りの役を勤め、やがて中(ちゅう)若い衆、中老などを経て、宿老(すくろう)などの上層へと進むもので、若者頭その他の役員は通常、最高年齢層から選ばれた。若者組の秩序は個人の能力や出自、財産などとは関係なく、ただ年齢と経験による序列をもって保持され、規律を破り、秩序を乱した者には制裁が加えられた。もっとも重い制裁は、はちぶ、帳外し、組はぶきなどの絶交、除名で、そのときには詫(わ)び証文を入れるとか、仲介者をたてるとかして謝罪しなければ復帰はかなえられなかった。

［竹田　旦］

機能

消防、警防や難破船救助にあたったり、祭礼の主役を勤めたりして、若者組は村落自治の一端を担うのが常であった。また山村では植林に、漁村では網漁にと、生産活動に率先する例も珍しくなかった。とくに婚姻に対する関与は著しく、若者頭が出席しなければ婚礼は始まらないという土地さえ存在した。しかしそれらの関与は、若者組そのものというよりは、組員の小集団ないし個人としての性格が濃く、寝宿における自治や「嫁盗み」の習わしも、友人仲間による結合を表現したものにほかならなかった。

［竹田　旦］

加入・脱退

数え年15歳ごろの加入が多かった。それは、成人に達し一人前になる年輩と一致し、若者組加入をもってそのまま成年式にかえる場合もみられ、いわゆるイニシエーションinitiation（入社式）の意味をもっていた。加入の儀式は正月の初寄合とか祭礼の前などに若者宿で行われ、新入りは先輩の居並ぶ前に座らされ、若者組の一員として守るべき条項を教え諭された。若者組では、礼儀、作法、身分、風俗に関して厳しく律せられた。新加入にあたり種々の試練が課せられ、心身とも早く一人前になるよう各種の訓練が行われた。それは、若者組に加われば、村寄合や村仕事、祭礼に参加することが許され、また寝宿に通い、恋愛・結婚へと進むことも認められたからである。加入は村内青年全員の義務とするのが常であったが、庄屋(しょうや)、名主(なぬし)や網元の子には加入を免除するとか、また長男に限り加入を認めて次男以下を排除するなど、若者組加入をめぐる権利・義務にも所によって差異がみられた。加入に比して脱退は簡単で、大掛りな儀礼はみられなかった。ただ脱退の条件、年齢は所によりかならずしも一様でなく、結婚するか25歳になればという場合が多かったが、35～42歳まで脱退を許さぬ土地もあった。高年齢まで若者組にとどめたのは、消防や警防などの任務のため一定人員を確保しておく必要からで、東北地方に広くみられた。

［竹田　旦］

若者宿

若者組は集会、訓練、作業、娯楽、寝泊りなどのため宿をもつのが常で、一般に若者宿とよばれた。娘組の娘宿にあたる。寝泊りのための宿は寝宿、泊り宿とよばれた。これらの宿として専用の建物をもたない場合は、社寺や若者頭(がしら)の私宅をあてたが、寝宿には民家の一室を借りるのが普通であった。若者宿は若者組活動の起点ともいうべき場所で、ある意味では家庭や村落から離れた別天地の観を呈した。しかし寝宿は若者組の統制から外れ、ツレ、ホウバイ、ドシなど、これを利用する若者仲間の自治にゆだねられた土地も多かった。一般に未婚男女の交際に対して若者組はわりあい寛大であった。

［竹田　旦］

『中山太郎著『日本若者史』（1930・春陽堂書店）』▽『大日本聯合青年団調査部編・刊『若者制度の研究』（1936）』▽『瀬川清子著『若者と娘をめぐる民俗』（1972・未来社）』▽『平山和彦著『青年集団史研究序説　上巻』（1978・新泉社）』▽『天野武著『若者組の研究』（1978・柏書房）』▽『天野武著『若者の民俗――若者と娘をめぐる習俗』（1980・ぺりかん社）』

[参照項目] | 娘組

出典　小学館　日本大百科全書(ニッポニカ)日本大百科全書(ニッポニカ)について　情報 | 凡例

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