Japan's re-distribution of farm land among farm labourers and economic conditions of mountain villages

Abstract

1. In mountain villages great owners of forests are also main owners of arable land. As the forests are still in the possession of those great landlords and not yet distributed among the poor peasants, feudal control of landlords over the peasants still remains. Without the Re-distribution of forests there is no complete agricultural Reformation. The author shows the real state of things in several districts. 2. The San-in District. The larger area of forests a village has the stronger the remains of feudal tenant system is there, which imposes upon tenant-farmers overwork and high rent. The prosperity of Japan's capitalism has involved such miserable lives of peasants. 3. The Southern Ōu District. In this district also, the larger area of land and forests a landlord has. He is generally the owner of the larger farm land. This is the fundamental condition for the maintenance of nago (boss of village) system, since the farmers need forests as a source of manure, fuel, and timber. 4. The Kiso valley The forests are in the possession of the Imperial Household. The forests here supply manure and forage. 5. Oki Island. Pastures here are owned by individuals but have been offered for common use for the villagers. But as stress has been laid on the management by the individual farmers, this system has stood on the verge of ruin. The problem here is different from those of other districts. 6. and 7. If landlords are left to possess large area of forests, feudalism will remain in the villages, and capitalistic aggression will come out. The poor peasants, who have become independent as the result of Re-distribution of farm land, still needs forests to be distributed among them, before the democratization of the villages are really possible, since without forests agriculture and stock-raising would be incomplete. © 1950, The Human Geographical Society of Japan. All rights reserved.