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#113
            113. SHIBUYA SHIGEKADO'S TESTAMENT, 1367

                        (A copy in Iriki-in docs.; also KK, II; SK, XX.)
THIS testament of the sixth Iriki-in lord is of importance, as it apparently related to grants to his
vassals, not to domains of his children.

                   "TESTAMENT.1
    "A settlement:
        Details of arrangement in regard to fiefs2 to be granted for loyal services in 
        war.
    "For a distinguished loyal service, [a fief] twice the extent of the usual [grant]
will be assigned.
    "As regards one who dies in battle, if he leaves a son, [a fief] will be assigned to
him in addition to his original3 holding, when it is practicable so to do. If the child be
a daughter, she certainly shall hold for life one half of the original holding.3 The widow
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shall be treated in the same manner as a daughter. However, if she otherwise has a
male companion, [she] shall not have a holding.
    "If [one who dies in battle] leaves no children, one tan of [his] ta shall for all
time be given to a [Buddhist] church.
    "If the aforestated articles were, even in the time of [Shigekado's] children's
children, violated [by any of them], he should not be [considered as] Shigekado's
descendant. Therefore, for the future, the settlement is [made] thus,
  "Sho-hei 22 y. 1 m. 29 d. [28 February 1367].        Shigekado, monogram."




  1Oki-bumi.
  2Ryo-sho, place of support, a rather rare word. The ryo is not the character of the same sound
meaning possession, holding, or domain, but the one that signified recompense or support. From this
double meaning, it followed that a ryo-sho was a place(sho) given in support of some person or
institution either without service, as in No. 25, or with service, as in the present instance. Here the
service was military; hence the word "fief" has been used in this translation. Otherwise, it will be
seen that ryo-sho was not always a fief in the strict sense of the word; in fact, no exact equivalent
of the word "fief" existed in Japanese. No adequate words have yet been coined in the language
for "fief" and "feudalism."
 3Hon chi-gyo, identical in meaning with hon-ryo.