Hon-zatsu Komoku 55: Ryosuke Ishii, Edo no Keibatsu (Punishments in the Edo Period)
This time, it is "Punishments in the Edo Period" by Ryosuke Ishii.
Chuko Shinsho, ISBN-13: 978-4121000316.
In the NDC classification, it is categorized under 322, Natural Sciences > Legal History.
It is from 1964, so it is quite an old book.
This is a rough project where I use a random number generator to pick one book from the approximately 5,000 I have on hand to read, and while I'm at it, think about whether it can be used for a novel.
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1. Pre-reading Impressions
When I think of punishments in the Edo period, various things come to mind like being torn apart by oxen or exile, and then I remind myself that things like the 'Ishidaki' (stone-hugging) were torture, not punishment. I remember reading somewhere a long time ago that there were quite heavy punishments for adultery related to women leaving their homes, and that depending on the crime, female convicts would end up working in brothels, but the number of women who actually became prostitutes in brothels due to being sold by their parents was not as high as the general impression (I don't remember the exact percentage).
Another characteristic feature is the collective responsibility system, where there was a fair amount of joint liability involving one's entire clan or even an entire village.
Anyway, let's open it up~.
2. Table of Contents and Preface Check
I read the preface. When it is written again that prisons in the Edo period were pre-trial detention centers (places where one enters before a crime is confirmed), I wondered... did the punishment of forced labor or imprisonment not exist in the Edo period? However, since they were made to learn a trade and work outside the prison, such as at the 'Ninsoku Yoseba' (labor camp) after the crime was decided, I wondered if the perspective of rehabilitation was stronger than it is now, or if it was just a society tolerant of criminals. I somehow feel it was the latter. On the other hand, the fact that prisons were divided into those for the homeless and those for farmers suggests that a policy of division was indeed fundamental. If so, were the labor camps also divided by those attributes? It seems to be based on a cynical view of human nature, with the idea of not mixing people with the bad.
The table of contents consists of "From Investigation to Settlement," "Punishments," "Prisons," and "Labor Camps." Oh no, I'm interested in all of them.
I will read all of "Punishments" and "Life Behind Bars" from the prison section.
3. Contents
Regarding "Punishments."
I was mistaken right away. 'Gesunin' (beheading) was only applied to murders not involving property, while property-related crimes resulted in 'Shizai' (beheading + cutting the torso).
This chapter is interesting because it describes in detail how punishments were executed, from leaving the prison to the handling of the corpse, including the calls made at various points. Actually, I was surprised that even the calls were fixed, showing a greater emphasis on regulations than I expected.
It also includes anecdotes, such as how Yamada Asaemon was. The systems and methods for exile and burning at the stake were quite different from what I had imagined, and it was very interesting to learn that double suicides were only exposed if both the man and woman survived. It was more interesting than I thought, as the philosophy was closer to modern criminal law.
Come to think of it, there was no item about women being sold to brothels, so is that a 'Nukei' (degradation of status)? 'Nu' is a punishment applied only to women, and it is written that 'if there was someone who wanted to take care of them, they were handed over to them.' The destination of the sale was not written in detail. I often write about brothels, so I'm curious.
Regarding "Life Behind Bars."
Fire was strictly prohibited inside the prison, and it was cold in winter and poorly ventilated in summer, causing people to get sick. To prevent this, they took various measures such as rotating the prisoners. It would be meaningless if they died of illness, after all.
It also seems that roles such as nursing and meal management were appointed within the prison, and a certain degree of self-governance was entrusted to them (apparently not for women). And prison politics seemed to be a matter of money; the authority of the 'Rōnanushi' (prison head) seemed very high.
It seems lynchings were common, and there was a culture of self-introduction similar to that found in the yakuza world. Is speaking in clichéd lines on every occasion an Edo culture? Since they say people were sometimes killed without having committed any crimes just to adjust the number of people in the prison, it is terrifying to think that more people probably died from lynchings than I thought. Looking at the data, it seems that about 1% to 10% of those who entered the prison died inside. In addition, it covered meal situations, bath situations, clothing situations, and even how to deal with fires that occurred nearby. Wait? I feel like I read up to the next section, "The Outside World and the Prison."
While I find it interesting because I had almost no knowledge of the state of the inside of the prison, I also think it would be interesting to depict a scene where a 'justice-obsessed' person is lynched in prison (of course, as part of the story. I have a bad personality).
Overall, despite the detailed descriptions, it was easy to read and very interesting. I am not very familiar with the customs of the Edo period, but perhaps because the culture is different, I saw a scene completely different from what I had assumed. It makes me want to write about it.
As for whether it can be used in a novel, I feel that if the setting is the Edo period and you are throwing someone into prison or depicting criminals, you should read it. However, since the atmosphere itself is often different from modern common sense (like the death penalty for three thefts), I fall into the usual dilemma that if I align the basics there, I won't be able to balance it unless I dig deeper into other customs as well.
4. Conclusion
It is a book that has some readable descriptions and is also interesting as a reference, but it is a niche genre that you probably wouldn't open if you weren't interested. Well, I want an ancient Chinese version.
Next time, it will be "Cultural History of 'Haunted Houses'" by Koichi Kato.
See you tomorrow! Probably!
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