The Meiji Era Without Literacy—Kichitaro 2: Birthdays in the Old Days

　Set in a rural village in Kagoshima during the mid-Showa period, I have been chronicling the lives of ordinary people, focusing on the past of Miyoko (my mother), who was born in Showa 5 (1930). Having brought Miyoko's story to a close, I have begun writing about her father-in-law, Kichitaro (my grandfather).　

As mentioned in the previous section, Kichitaro was born on February 13, Meiji 13 (1880). However, this is merely the record in the family register, and it is unclear if it is his true date of birth. By modern standards, one might say, "That is impossible." But even for Miyoko, who was born in the early Showa period, her actual birth date differed from the one in the family register <231>. In an era of high birth and death rates where many ordinary people could not read or write, one cannot blame anyone if the parents' reporting to the family register was, in a sense, imprecise.　If, about 50 years ago, when elderly people of Kichitaro's generation were still barely alive in the neighborhood, or when adults who remembered stories passed down from those elders were still in their prime, one could have asked, "Was Kichitaro really born in Meiji 13?", there might have been someone who knew the episodes surrounding his birth registration. But there is no one left who can speak of those times.

　As his granddaughter, Fumi (myself), imagines it, Kichitaro was likely born a year or two before the year recorded in the family register. Perhaps his parents—or, given the times, it might have been the head of the household, not necessarily the birth parents—waited until they judged, "This child seems likely to grow up strong," before reporting it to the village office. February 13 might have been the day they went to report it, or it could have been chosen because it coincided with some auspicious event. It is also highly likely that the person who wrote the report was an acquaintance who could read and write.

　In any case, in an era where families had many children, some of whom would die young—mostly as infants—and where the overwhelming majority of people could not file reports with the government themselves, the accuracy of such reports was likely not considered very important.

　Japan entered the modern era and the "Family Register Law" was enacted in Meiji 5 (1872) <232>. Until then, it seems that the births and deaths of ordinary people were managed by temples and the like (my understanding of this area is not fully comprehensive). The way of counting age was also by "kazoedoshi" (traditional Japanese age reckoning), where one was already one year old at birth. After that, everyone turned a year older when the New Year arrived. Therefore, an individual's (exact) birthday had almost no meaning, and no one would have cared about it.

　Even if there were someone whose birthday was clearly known, there would likely have been no custom of celebrating it every year. (I wonder when and in what form the custom of celebrating birthdays actually began?)

　Regardless, regarding Kichitaro's age, I will proceed with the assumption that he was "born in Meiji 13 (1880)" as stated in the family register.

　
<231> The fact that Miyoko's birth date differs between the family register and reality is discussed in "
A Short Break (Pre-war Birth Registration)."<232> "Family Register Law," Cabinet Notification No. 170, April 4, Meiji 4 (1871), enacted February 1, Meiji 5.