About Tabihikitsuke
In the spring of 1501, Kujō Masamoto 九条政基 (1445-1516), former chancellor at the imperial court, left Kyoto for an extended stay at the family's Hine Estate 日根庄 (appearing in some documents from the 15th c., as 日根野庄) in Izumi Province. While residing there for the next four years, Masamoto kept a diary, Tabihikitsuke (published as Masamoto-kō Tabihikitsuke 政基公旅引付), which offers an unparalleled view of village life at the time. Its intimate portrayal of rural culture and society, of the lives of individual villagers and their communities, is singular in its depth and detail.
The diary is nearly 350 pages in published form and daily jottings are the norm, many of considerable length. The key characteristics of the diary are as follows.
Masamoto's focus was on the region, the estate, and issues relevant to those; he wrote almost nothing about the outside world
In his daily notes and descriptions (and in correspondence, coming and going, that he copied in the diary), Masamoto provides insights into a remarkable breadth of topics: politics and power (with key players being the two military governors [shugo] in Sakai and the powerful Buddhist temple, Negoroji); local and regional religions; economics (including taxes and competition for those, money lending, and commerce); conflict and village fighting capabilities; law; and community.
The diary also depicts a diversity of social classes, extending from Masamoto and influential monks and government officials to village elite and peasants at the margins of society; many individuals appear with names and characters.
The diary is evidence of the workings and strength of late medieval "independent villages"; they appear as a force to be reckoned with.
As suggested above, Tabihikitsuke includes not just Masamoto's thoughts and descriptions, but also considerable correspondence (including much to and from the villagers), as well as conversations and reports that Masamoto received from his men.
