People in the past all seemed to live a quick death life, and there wasn’t much caregiving. (From “Samurai’s Caregiving Leave,” Illustration by Kensuke Okazoe) Did samurai in the Edo period have caregiving leave? “In Edo-period Japan, there was actually a caregiving leave system called kambyo kotori that allowed samurai to request time off for caregiving duties.”   This is what is said by Masayuki Saki, a writer who has long been involved in the field of caregiving and welfare, and who published Samurai’s Caregiving Leave (Kawade Shobo Shinsha) on October 22. This alone is an astonishing fact, but the reality of caregiving in ancient times is even more fascinating. What kind of caregiving lives did our ancestors lead? Let’s hear more about it right away (below, all quotes are from Mr. Saki). “In the case of the samurai, if necessary, they could apply for leave from their domain by submitting a caregiving leave request, and this system is documented in historical records. Since there were no modern caregiving services like insurance, family care was the norm. This was common for both samurai and commoners. The specific methods of physical care were similar to those used today, primarily involving assistance with eating and toileting. As for bathing, modern care facilities offer services like portable bathtubs or home visit bathing, or even mechanical baths for those who can bathe lying down or sitting up. However, in those days, body cleaning was typically done using a hand towel for wiping down the body.” There were no nursing homes or similar facilities in the Edo period. However, one should not underestimate the situation. A caregiving system was actually in place within the local communities. “If there were no cohabitants, or if the family alone could not bear the burden of care, it is believed that people relied on their neighbors. In the case of commoners, the ‘Gonin-gumi’ played a significant role. Originally, the ‘Gonin-gumi’ was a system where people monitored whether others paid taxes or contributed to the land levy and whether they practiced religions like Christianity, which was considered a foreign faith. However, when someone fell ill, they were also responsible for helping each other. This is also mentioned in a book called ‘Nōka Kankō’ (Farmers’ Customs), which outlined the duties of village officials. If the ‘Gonin-gumi’ was unable to provide support, historical records show that a hierarchical system was in place, where the entire village would step in to provide care.”