The
ie, traditionally, was the formal ordering of the
Japanese family--it
contained set roles for the family head, successors, children, and even
the deceased. The different roles and generations of the
ie "were
characterized by
Confucian principles of loyalty and benevolence"--the
younger generations saw their duty to the house "as loyalty to their parents
for benevolence received." (Hendry 25) An individual in the family
was thought of as owing the family for raising and caring for him or her,
and so giving back to the family was how they repaid their debt--and continued
the cycle by improving the next generations. In this way, "The continuing
entity was more important than any individual member, and individual members
were expected to find their raison d'etre in the maintenance and the continuity
of the ie." (Hendry 24) So, family members were judged primarily
on their ability to carry their share of the load. Sometimes, if
outsiders who married into the family were found to be "unsuitable" due
to their inability to "carry on with their expected duties", they were
removed from the ie and returned to their own house. (Hendry 26)
The ie was abolished as a legal unit during the Allied Occupation
following World War II, as it was seen as a relic of the feudalism the
Occupation was trying to stamp out. The legacy of ie, however, lives on
today--as Hendry notes, "the notion of the ie continues to be held quite
happily in many parts of Japan." (Hendry 27-29) First, regardless
of legal basis, "members of a family living under one roof will conceptualize
their unit as a continuing ie" in many parts of Japan. (Hendry 31)
While the legal system implemented in the Civil Code set strict guidelines
for partitioning up inheritances, for example, often "non-inheriting children
will sign away their rights for the sake of the ie, if one of their number
agrees to take on the responsibility of the family home." (Hendry
36) Thus, a new head for the ie is informally chosen from the remaining
family members, effectively circumventing the law.
References
Hendry, Joy. Understanding Japanese Society (second edition).
New York: Routledge, 1996.