Paper Short Abstract:

This paper addresses the subject of the process of kinship boundaries reconstruction in Japan. And show how boundaries are reconstructed and how people in particular contexts conduct kinship practices.It helps us understand the fluidity and ambiguity of boundaries, and explain people's practices in the particular context of rural Japan.

Paper Abstract:

The organization called dozoku is a Japanese family union that originated in the 17th century and usually exists in rural and fishing villages. In the past, power relations and hierarchical structures of dozoku generally followed genealogical and economic relations. As an important part of rural Japanese society, dozoku not only satisfies people's spiritual and religious needs, but also have social functions such as agricultural production, farmland distribution, and cooperative work. The boundaries of dozoku, means who is or is not a member of the dozoku was very clear. But with industrialization and urbanization advancing, boundaries began to blur. Sometimes it even disappears, which means dozoku's disband. However, in modern Japan, dozoku attempt to rebuild its boundaries through rituals, common cemeteries, and feasts. In my fieldwork, I found that these attempts are not only gently maintain ancient traditions, but also full of conflicts by changes in social environment. Therefore, I will ask why people in my fieldwork area, where the population decrease is very serious, still choose to reconstruct their dozoku boundaries, even though organization has almost no social function now.

I will explain their practice using the anthropological concept of substance. Through the various examples of conflict and the power structures and changes within dozoku, we can see how its boundaries are being redefined and reproduced in the modern context.