
THE CHONIN 765
extravagance and display by
chonin,
both men and women, in clothing
and articles of personal adornment. Prohibitions also appeared against
three-story houses, the use of gold and silver leaf and gold-lacquer
articles, and extravagance in weddings, funerals, memorial services,
and dining and entertainment. These
laws
sought, of
course,
to
curb the
luxurious living of prosperous merchants which, because it was supe-
rior to the comforts enjoyed by samurai, might provoke jealousy and
hence undermine morale and
discipline.
They remained, however, little
more than outbursts of indignation by the ruling class against the pre-
sumptuousness of social inferiors. Because the
laws
were directed at the
display of wealth - attacking as they did the symptoms rather than the
economic causes of fundamental changes in society - they were of lim-
ited effectiveness. But the reminder to
chonin
that they should live like
inferiors, together with a few exemplary confiscations and the frequent
repudiation by daimyo of their enormous debts to merchants, served to
sap some of the exuberance of the more pretentious
chonin.
Such devel-
opments encouraged some
chonin
to reflect again on their proper role
and behavior in Edo society, and to bear in mind Saikaku's warning of
"divine punishment."
114
This theme was taken up by others who wrote words of advice for
chonin. Nishikawa Joken wrote a practical guide called
Chonin bukuro
(A bag of advice for townsmen, 1692), in which he admonishes:
Chonin
are at the bottom of the four classes. . . . Being at the bottom, they
should not exceed their superiors. They should not be envious that others
have prestige and majesty. They should keep to simplicity and plainness and
be content with their status. If they keep to their kind, like oxen enjoy being
with other oxen, they will achieve lifelong enjoyment.
Joken adds the warning: "If lowly
chonin
wear fine clothes and go on
outings, they will be accosted by robbers who will strip them. As
people of humble birth, if they imitate the behavior of their superiors,
they will bring ruinous misfortune on themselves."
115
Ishida Baigan (1685-1744), who formulated a body of social and
ethical teachings for
chonin,
known as
shingaku,
gave advice on which
materials should be worn appropriately to reflect one's status. "Be
grateful for these established forms," he said, "do not violate them, but
observe them strictly. Know the lowliness of
oneself.
It is good to
observe these distinctions.""
6
For Baigan, the avoidance of extravagant
114 Ibid., pp. 126-35. "5 Nihon keizai
sosko,
vol. 5, pp. 65, 67.
116
Tohi mondo
(1739), Akabori Matajiro, ed., in Shingaku
sosho
(Tokyo: Hakubunkan, 1904),
vol. 3, p. 206. On Shingaku, see Robert N. Bellah,
Tokugawa
Religion: The
Values
ofPre-
Industrial Japan (Glencoe,
111.:
Free Press, 1957), pp. 133-77.
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