Japan Village Records: Difference between revisions

:Research use: Land registers provide names, dates and places for landowners and tenants. Generational linkage is possible through transfer records.

:Record type: Village land and property records including title deeds, land transfers and records of tenancy.

:Content: Title deeds: names of individuals, village, date. Transfers: village, date, names and relationships of individuals in line of transmission. Tenancy: names of tenants, landowner, village, date. Tax assessments: description of property, property owners, amount of taxes.

:Population coverage: 40%.

:Research use: Tax records are an extensive source of names. They have particular value for identifying male villagers.

:Record type: Records of individuals who paid taxes, kept on a village level.

:Population coverage: 40%.

:Research use: These records can provide help in following persons who moved from other villages. They can provide generational linkage as well as names, places, and dates.

:Record type: These are various types of village records which keep track of people who moved into or moved out of the community.  

:Content: Name, age, father’s name, village of origin and/or destination, event dates. May include details concerning the person such as social status, livelihood, criminal activity, and so forth.

:Population coverage: 15%.

:Research use: Because most village record types are male-centered, these lists are especially useful as they include the names of female (young and old) villagers. These records are necessary for research of collateral lines since the koseki enable only direct-line research.

:Record type: Miscellaneous records generated at the village level.

:Content: village, event date, and names of villagers who lost property or lives.

:Population coverage: 20%.

:Research use: Conscription lists are one of the best sources of data for males other than religious census records and koseki. These lists provide valuable clues to family composition.

:Record type: Village records which list potential military personnel in the village.

:Content: List of males between 18 and 49 years of age: occupation, name, position in family (head of household, other males in birth order), birth date, age, village.

:Population coverage: 20%.

:Research use: Village financial records are useful for finding names of persons who do not appear in land or tax records.

:Record type: Financial records generated at the village level.

:Content: Loan agreements: Village, date, names of applicant, guarantor, and village headman. Grain sales agreements: Village, date, names of sellers and buyers.

:Population coverage: 20%.

:Research use: Useful for names of persons who do not appear in land or tax records.

:Record type: Village records kept in connection with various water, soil, and forest conservation projects.

:Content: Village, date, and names of individuals who participated in the conservation projects.

:Population coverage: 20%.

:Research use: Medical records provide the names of female villagers and young males who did not live long enough to leave their names behind on military records, land records, or tax records.

:Record type: Records of village medical patients.

:Content: Name, birth date, birth order, village, father’s name and occupational class; may include death date.

:Population coverage: 5%.

:Research use: Donation rosters can provide the names of non-farmers, female villagers, and others who do not appear in higher priority records.

:Record type: Donation rosters of Buddhist temples and Shinto shrines.

:Content: Names of individuals, place, and event places.

:Population coverage: 15% to 25%.