漁業社会の構造

This article analyses the social structure of the agriami fishing carried on the sandy beach of H town, and its pre-modern character which enables the enterprise, despite bad conditions such as the lack of a natural sea port and technical improvements to continue to exist.<BR>Each of the aguriami fishing enterprise constitutes an organic unit composed of over one-hundred fishing laborers of both sexes and about twenty fishing processors under a top manager called amimoto, an owner of nets. There are seven units of this sort in H town, the structure of each is similar, despite differences in the scale of business. The wage of laborers is mainly determined in proportion to the amount of the catch and lacks the basis of regular pay. This proportion is to a considerable extent determined at the sole discretion of the amimoto.<BR>Thus, the resulting instability and poverty of wage for laborers makes borrowing from the amimoto against future wages inevitable. This relation based on wage advances and the wage, determined solely by amimoto, not only compels obedience to the amimoto institutionally, but also promote the personal relations based on girl and ninjo which rationalizes the obedience psychologically. The processors belong exclusively to a particular amimoto, which enables amimoto to stifle free competition and enables them to set prices profitable for themselves. These results in low cost, difficulty of maintenance of the industry and the processors liability to the amimoto. The relation between processors and an amimoto is not a contractual relationship of equals. The former stands on a dependent position like that of wage laborers despite their assumed independent enterprise. Based on these two institutions in which an amimoto controls fishing laborers and processors, pre-modern structure of this fishing society can be clearly analysed.<BR>Some forms of resistance to amimoto control can be seen. But the main refuge from this control system is for the laborers to emigrate and for processors to buy from other districts. These negative means of resistance tend to weaken such active means as the establishment and promotion of labor and trade unions. Motivation for their establishment is minimal. There is no orientation toward collective solution of problems. The amimoto have no interest in technical improvement and are eager to maximize profit in status quo situation where they enjoy high status in a pre-modern relationship. Thus, there is no positive trend to modernization in this society.<BR>In spite of this, discontent with the amimoto is maturing within the society, and a psychological basis change in the existing system by outside forces is now growing. Though the workers manifestly accept the status quo with apathetic resignation, they are in fact not contend with it. This contradiction manifests itself in such a phrase bearing some self-sardonic meaning. “The funakata (a master of boats) is a speck of dust of a human being”. This, of course, is pathetic resignation, but it helps maintain some potential of feeling ready to burst forth.<BR>The pre-modern social relations which superficially appear fixed may have unanticipated weakness at their base.