Balancing family strategies with indivisual choice : name changing in early modern Japan

要旨

In this paper I use names and name changing as a tool for gauging intention and acceptance in the relation between families and potential heirs. My previ ous research has shown a strong relation between naming patterns, family membership and heir choice, or inheritance, making this a convenient tool. I use data from two villages for this analysis: Shimomoriya in northeastern Japan and Nishijo in central Japan. The two villages are both small agricultural vil lages with no industry and families in these two villages place similar value on family continuity typical of the Tokugawa period (1600-1868), but their in heritance practices differ. My findings suggest that differences in the political, social and economic environments of the villages change the range of choices available to individuals and therefore influence family strategies of inheritance to ensure survival. This leads me to further suggest that social change may be the result of changes in the environment shaping the range of choices available to individuals and which choices may seem more attractive.

主題