15. Regional Diversity In Demographic And Family Patterns In Pre-Industrial Japan

The chapter offers an overview of the demographic and family patterns of the Tokugawa and early Meiji periods to sketch a new image of pre-industrial Japanese society and explains the causes of regional diversity.

Abstract

This chapter surveys demographic patterns and patterns of family structure, analyzing the demographic data vis-a-vis the distinctive characteristics of family structure in three regions (the northeast, central, and southwest) of Japan to show how and speculate why demographic patterns and family structure differed by region. It discusses an introduction of historical sources and the findings of regional diversity at the macro and micro levels. The chapter applies a simulation analysis in order to contrast regional differences as well as to see the relationship between demographic patterns and family structure. It explains the causes of regional diversity. The chapter offers an overview of the demographic and family patterns of the Tokugawa and early Meiji periods to sketch a new image of pre-industrial Japanese society. To understand the demographic and family patterns associated with these population trends, it examines the demographic snapshots gathered by the Meiji government in 1886.Keywords: demographic patterns; family patterns; Meiji period; pre-industrial Japan; regional diversity; Tokugawa period