Enomoto Family Documents

The Enomoto family of Momura has a collection of 81 ancient documents from the Edo period. The contents of these documents include land survey records (land registers summarizing the results of measuring rice fields and farmland for each village), five-person group ledgers (books that enforced joint responsibility among groups of five for tax collection and crime prevention), and village maps, which provide valuable historical materials that clarify the state of Momura during the Edo period. The documents were created over a span of 203 years, from the 7th year of Kanbun (1667) to the 3rd year of Meiji (1870). We will introduce particularly important basic historical materials among these valuable early modern documents. (Additionally, the Enomoto family also preserves modern historical materials from the Meiji period onward.)

Five-person group joint signature document (Enomoto family document 43)

This is a record from the year 1865 (the 2nd year of the Genji era) detailing the agreements and prohibitions within a group of five households. The content primarily consists of provisions related to the payment of annual taxes, followed by regulations concerning the capture of criminals for maintaining public order, matters related to land transactions and collateral, prohibitions against crop failures, encouragement of new rice fields, and rules for eliminating misconduct by officials towards farmers, all listed in bullet points, totaling ten items. It is evident that these prohibitions correspond to the laws of the Edo Shogunate, such as the prohibition on the permanent sale of rice fields and the Keian edicts.

Momura Forest Development Ledger (Enomoto Family Documents 1)

This is a land survey document believed to have been created during the land survey conducted in the Kanto region in the 8th year of Genroku (1695). The oldest known land survey conducted in the city is the Sakahama village survey from the 3rd year of Bunroku (1594), but according to existing historical materials, following the Hirao village survey from the 3rd year of Kan'ei (1626), this land survey of Momura from the 8th year of Genroku is also old and can be considered a document that provides insight into the village conditions of Momura in the early Edo period.

Notice regarding the expenses for the Takagata (Emonoto Family Documents 49)

Falconry, a sport that involves using trained hawks to catch prey, has been practiced since ancient times. The successive shoguns of the Edo period also enjoyed falconry and promoted the development of falconry grounds. Although it was temporarily suspended during the era of the fifth shogun Tsunayoshi, it was revived during the era of the eighth shogun Yoshimune, and the falconry system was also organized and strengthened. The villages within the city area were designated as the training grounds for hawks, known as Torakiba, under the Zoshigaya group, and there was frequent movement of falconers and officials related to falconry. This historical document was issued to the headman of Momura from the innkeeper of Fuchu-juku, requesting the delivery of necessary items (such as firewood, charcoal, and rice) to accommodate the falconry officials who were staying at Shimofuda-juku. The villages of Inagi were responsible for transporting luggage and bearing the costs of goods whenever the falconry officials traveled.

Momura Map (Enomoto Family Documents 67・68)

The Enomoto family has seven maps of Momura from the Edo period. Among these, two maps, numbered 67 and 68, have clear dates, created in the 7th year of Kanbun (1667) and the 3rd year of Koka (1846), respectively. The map 67 (7th year of Kanbun) records the judgment regarding a dispute over the use of common land that occurred between Nagunuma Village and Momura. The dispute arose because Nagunuma Village utilized the common land that was used by the three villages of Momura, Sakahama, and Omaru, leading to an appeal to the shogunate's evaluation office. The judgment recognized Nagunuma Village's right to use the common land, but stipulated that the tax payments should be made to the lords of the three villages. The map 68 (3rd year of Koka) is a greatly simplified depiction of the Momura map, with roads, rivers, rice fields, farmland, mountains, forests, temples, and residences color-coded.