A Study on the Perceptions of and Attitudes towards the Customs of Abandoning (sutego) or even Putting to Death Children (kogoroshi) with Some Form of Permanent ‘Disability’ and/or Severe Physical ‘Abnormality’ during Mid- and Late-Edo-Period Japan

CHWILA David Dominik

doi:10.15017/4377790

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Other Title

江戸中後期における〈障害児〉・〈奇形児〉の捨て子や子殺しに対する認識
エドチュウコウキニオケル〈ショウガイジ〉・〈キケイジ〉ノステゴヤコゴロシニタイスルニンシキ

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Description

Examining the history of social thought, through this paper I would like to contribute to a more differentiated and nuanced understanding of the wide variety of views and opinions about people with ‘disability’ that have been present throughout history, focusing on examples of perceptions and attitudes especially towards children. / Regarding the Pre-modern periods of Japanese history, looking for parental as well as social reactions to children with any long-term condition of impairment or visible physical deformity, previous research put too much emphasis on the aspects of either the abandonment of these children by their parents, or, on the other hand, their social exclusion and marginalization, and, by doing so, these studies highlighted only the negative sides of the people’s perception of and treatment towards these children. / As for Japan’s Early-modern period, although the customs of abandoning (sutego) or putting to death children (kogoroshi) have become well-researched topics, and some studies also refer to for what reasons, and under what circumstances parents came to decide not to raise, but to get rid of children especially with ‘disability’ or ‘deformity’, there, to this point, has not been any study on how these practices were perceived, interpreted and responded to on an ideological and discursive level when targeting specifically this certain group of children. / Having a closer look on scriptures and other historical sources written by scholars of ‘National-Learning’ (kokugaku), Confucian scholars and philosophers (especially those who worked as medical doctors), and such by Buddhist priests, one can discover that, while some pledged for abandoning or killing such children, during the mid- and late-Edo-period, there further has been a great variety of voices in favor for these children, assigning to parents a duty to raise and care for their children even in the case they may be ‘disabled’ or ‘disfigured’.

Journal

障害史研究

障害史研究 2 15-39, 2021-03-25

Faculty of Social and Cultural Studies, Kyushu University