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                                     22. THE KUNI-GOVERNOR'S ORDER, 1258
                                               (Iriki-in docs; also KK, VIII, and SK, IV.)
THIS is a typical kuni order of the type known as cho-sen, so-called from the two characters with
which the first line beings, meaning literally, "order of the office," or "the office orders." The per-
nicious custom had long been established since the pre-feudal days, of granting to Kyoto nobles for
limited periods incomes of official revenues in provinces(kuni), of whose affairs they were not
expected to assume official charge, but in which they were permitted to secure fo their relatives or
friends positions as governors or their subordinates. Even a governor so appointed chose usually to
stay at the Capital, as in the present instance, and be represented by a deputy at the provincial
government. The deputy was called ru-su(charge in absence) or moku-dai(deputy), and his office,
ru-su dokoro (tokoro meaning place or office). The cho-sen was issued from the governor's offices at
Kyoto to the ru-su dokoro in the kuni.
   Seeing that the kuni claimed a half of the dues from the enumerated parts of Iriki, we infer that
the order referred only to the so-called public land(ko-den), which had all become yose-gori: (see
our introductions to Nos.2 and 6). The extent of this class of land in the whole of Iriki in was, in
1197 (No. 9) and 1250 (No. 17), 75 cho;1 of this total area, the three ji-to named in this order
were devised in the latter year (No. 17) thirty-nine and a half cho in all. It must be a moiety of
the returns from these cho that the kuni, with a small exception, claimed as due to itself.
   It is the intention of the editor to provide explanations barely sufficient to enable the readers to
pursue their independent research of the documents. He presumes, however, to call their attention
once more to the complex character of the financial obligations of these regions: the domanial lord,
the kuni governor, the ji-to, and, as we are again reminded here, the Da-zai Fu, had each its
separate claims upon the dues of Iriki, the ji-to assuming the duty of collecting all the dues. No. 18
revealed the assignment of lands as men and kyu and the apportionment of dues to the kuni, the
ryo-ke, and the ji-to; but the revelation was only partial.
   The ji-to of the places mentioned in the present document had put themselves in a special status
in regard to the kuni government, which needs elucidation. The domanial lord or the governor, in
order to save himself the trouble of assessing and collecting the dues, and to insure their steady and
sure return, sometimes struck a bargain with an agent, whereby the latter bound himself to yield
a definite annual amount from the place. A clause was usually inserted in the stipulation to the
effect that the payment would be rendered regardlessly of a failure in harvest. This was farming
out the dues. The arrangement was considered as mutually advantageous to the governor or lord and
to the farmer; the latter would be certain to more than recoup himself for his payment. The place
thus marked as also the shiki of holding it, came alike to be called uke-sho, literally, "place ac-
cepted" under responsibility, (see No. 14, n. 5b). The "letter of acceptance," uke-bumi, stated the
condition upon which the obligation would be performed, and the agent ordinarily bound himself
not to demur if he were summarily discharged for a failure to do his part.2
   When, as in the present example, a ji-to undertook the obligation, the place and the shiki were
called a ji-to uke-sho. Shibuya sho in Sagami also was made a ji-to uke-sho in 1193, as was shown
in No. 14, n. 5.
                   "(Monogram.)
"THE Governor's office decrees                           to the charge's office,
   "That forthwith Taira no Shigetsune,3 ditto Shigekata,3 and Ara-roku3 by name,
   shall forward the rice due from a half of Iriki in.
       "Taxable4 by the kuni, 47 koku 1 to 4 sho 5 go; adding thereto a half of [the
           rice in lieu of] the light articles,5 4 koku 6 to 3 sho;
       deducting therefrom 10 koku of rice, taxable4 by the kuni, from the 2 cho 5 tan
       of ta assigned for appropriation for [expenses relative to] Raku-go temple.
"Of [the dues of] a half of the aforesaid go, [the dues from the following places] shall
be rendered, [respectively, by the persons named below], as their uke-sho:-from
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To-no-hara, by Shigetsune; from Nakamura, Sho-komori, and Lower Soeda, by
Shigekata; and from a half of Kashiwa-zhima, by Araroku; except from the ta con-
fiscated6 and assigned by the Fu7 for the yielding of fixed dues to be appropriated for
the Buddhist and Shinto services [at the temple],-to the amount stated in their
letters of acceptance, regardless of drought or flood, or of poor harvest or failure and
loss. If, in contravention of their letters of acceptance, they should fail to return the
dues or attempt to resist [the authorities], their uke-sho should be terminated. Thus
is it ordered. The Deputy's office shall comprehend this, and shall not be remiss in its
execution. Decreed.
   "Sho-ka 2 y.9 m.- d. [October 1258].
"O-suke,8 Fujiwara no Ason."




   1Although the ta in No. 18, dated early 1251, greatly exceeded this number, the discrepancy
may perhaps in part be accounted for by the fact that the later list comprised the lands wasted or
unproductive within all the parts mentioned, and in part by its possible inclusion of newly opened
rice-fields not officially registered as part of the yose-gori.
   2The use of uke-bumi was not, however, limited to cases of uke-sho. Any act of "acceptance,"
whether of an office, a shiki, a piece of land, or a sum of money, which accompanied a definite
obligation, might be confirmed with an uke-bumi. always in a form similar to the one described
above.
   3Ara-roku, still a lad. On reaching majority this boyhood name would be discarded and he would
assume the name Norimoto. For Ara-roku and Shimomura Shigekata, see No. 17; for Terao
Shigetsune, see Nos. 14, 17, 19-21.
   4Jo; see No. 18, n. 9.
   5Kei-motsu, literally, "light things," an item in taxation, probably in the nature of a surtax,
through its details are unknown. See No. 72 A.
   6Confiscated probably from a partisan of the Taira, whose downfall occurred in the eighties of
the preceding century. See No. 9.
   7Da-zai Fu, in Chiku-zen; see No. 6.
   8O-suke, "Great Vice-governor." Why this title was used by a governor, not a vice-governor, is
not clear. The late Mr. K. Yashiro maintained that the title was assumed exclusively by an absentee
governor at Kyoto who had received his post under private patronage in the manner described in
the introduction to this No., when he issued orders to his deputy or to the province.