It was the same with regard to the adminis tration of the villages. In each village there was a headman called sometimes Nanushi, but usually Shoya. He was elected by the peasants themselves from one of the most honorable families among them. His term of office was sometimes for life and sometimes for a number of years. There were also the Goningumi and its headman; deputies of peasants who partici pated in the administration of the villages, and sometimes there were Ojoya or great headmen who were superintendents over the headmen or shoyas of several villages, sometimes 10, 20 or more villages.
Below the Heimin class there were outcasts and beggars, respectively called Yeta and Hinin. The Yeta class were butchers, and they were specially despised, as Buddhism taught men not to kill animals. These people were allowed to live only in certain districts and quarters, and there were some villages called Yeta-mura, where the Yeta class only dwelt.
In Yedo these classes were put under the jurisdiction of special men, selected from their number, to govern them. In case a Heimin became a beggar, he could retrieve his position by industry. But if he married a beggar woman and begot children, he could return to his former class, but she and her children could not rise with him into the Heimin class.
Three years after the Restoration (1871), all classes were allowed to intermarry with each other. And in the same year the names Yeta and Hinin were abolished, and the outcasts and beggars were also incorporated within the Heimin or common people.
A kind of slavery existed from a very early period. That is, poor people sold themselves to the rich and noble. During the Kamakura period there came to be a special sort of trades men called Hito-akibito, engaged in buying and selling servants. The government prohibited this kind of trade, but could not stop it. In the Ashikaga period they kidnapped young boys and girls and sold them. This continued down to the Tokugawa period, when it was made a capital offense. The government at one time even tried to limit the term of engagements .of the servants to 10 years. In fact, in 1872 long engagements were prohibited as slavish, and restricted to one year.
The morality of sexes has always been the weakest part of Oriental ethics in general. it was so in Japan. Divorce was easy, and con cubines and mistresses were permitted to the noble and the wealthy. But in spite of all irregularities and licentious practices in fact, monogamy has always been a legal marriage.
That is, bigamy or polygamy in a literal sense was not recognized by the law. Only one woman was a man's proper wife. So there has been only one queen, properly so called. That was a rule, though there were some exceptions in some corrupt periods of Japanese history. In primitive Japan a marriage was allowed be tween brothers and sisters of different mothers. It was a universal custom that a woman should not go over to her husband's house after her marriage. She remained at her own home, which the husband frequented as a visitor. On the marriage day, a bridegroom went to the bride's house, where there was a feast prepared. Even to this day, in the marriage ceremony a nuptial cup is first given to the bride, and after she drinks it is given to the bridegroom. It means that she is the host and the bridegroom is the guest. It continued to be a custom for a long period of time, that the wife should remain at her parental home for several months or even several years after her marriage before she was taken over to her husband's house.
After the Kamakura period it came to be a custom that the wife should be taken to her husband's home immediately after the day of marriage, which took place at her house. Later, the bride was taken to the bridegroom's home from the first, and the marriage ceremony itself was performed at his house. However, even during the Tokugawa period and in fact till to-day, a woman always keeps her own family name, which is used as her honorary title and shows her good breeding.
During the Kamakura period a wife was able to have her dowry as her own property, which was not allowed to be mixed up with that of her husband. Even when her husband's property was confiscated her property was not touched, except in case of heinous crimes such as treason, murder and robbery. If she was divorced and a child was born after her di vorce, a boy went to the father and a daughter to the mother, but until 10 years old the boy was allowed to remain with his mother. It was the original custom in Japan that property should be divided among all children and even to the relatives. It was•so in the Kamakura period. In case the owner did not execute his will before his death, the government did it according to its discretion. If there was no child or relative left to succeed to his prop erty, it was given over to the temples and the churches.