公事帳写 / Handwritten copy of administrative rulebook

This copy of administrative rulebook (kujichō) was probably handwritten by Higa Niya of Mīyagwā, who was an attendant at the residence of an aji lord (udun otomo) in Ikei Village, Yonashiro Magiri in Dōkō 15 (1839). In this document, Higa Niya's position, a clerk (tekugu) is crossed out, and rewritten as otomo. After Higa Niya served as a tekugu; a lower-ranked official of Magiri, he became an otomo at the residence of a lord (aji jito) of Yonashiro Magiri located in Shuri, in order to practice his writing and math skills. Kujichō is an administrative rulebook issued by the Shuri government to each Magiri in 1735, and it was stored at each Magiri banjo (the government branch office). Its contents such as ceremonies, tax payments, population surveys don't have much difference between each Magiri. However, some are slightly different depending on the characteristics of each Magiri, for example, if a Magiri is close to the sea or it has many mountains. Because the writer of this copy is Higa Niya, it's considered to be the one from Yonashiro Magiri. This kujichō features its reference to the sea, for example, the rules regarding drifting (in case an unknown ship drifts to their Magiri, or a ship from their Magiri drifts to elsewhere) issued in 1749, and the rules regarding whale meat processing issued in 1776 were included in this kujichō. It is not a complete version of
kujichō from Yonashiro Magiri because the middle and the last part are missing.

(Updated on March 8, 2016)