Surprising Edo-era Caregiving: Samurai and Men Leading Parental Care

50 years old is considered elderly, and 60 years old is celebrated as the longevity celebration.

During the Toyotomi regime, the “Five-person group,” which was originally for the samurai, later became primarily used for the control of commoners during the Edo period, and samurai were generally excluded from it. In samurai households with well-established family businesses, a strong sense of belonging was likely felt, and the responsibility for caregiving was mainly undertaken by the eldest son in the family.

“People might imagine that in wealthy samurai families, the high-ranking person would leave the caregiving to the wife or servants and do nothing themselves. However, in the Edo period, it was the men, not the women, who took the lead in caring for their aging parents. The philosophy of filial piety encouraged by the Tokugawa shogunate had a significant influence on this.”

Of course, life expectancy and healthcare have improved in modern times, but at what age were people in the Edo period considered to be in need of care, and what diseases or conditions did they suffer from?

“From historical records regarding retirement in the Edo period, it seems that people were regarded as elderly from around the age of 50, and reaching 60 was considered a milestone for celebrating longevity. The pharmacist and Confucian scholar Kaibara Ekken stated that 60 was the lower age of life, 80 the middle age of life, and 100 the upper age of life.

Therefore, by the age of 50, people began to experience the decline associated with aging, which likely led to an increase in diseases and injuries that required caregiving. One historical document that sheds light on the diseases causing caregiving is the ‘Kogiroku.’ This document records individuals who were rewarded by their lords or samurai for their filial piety, such as caring for aging parents. In a study of the Sendai domain’s ‘Sendai Kogiroku’ by Keiko Kikuchi (pen name: Yanagiyan) at Tohoku Gakuin University, data were gathered focusing on those who were rewarded for caregiving their parents.

According to the study, the most common causes of caregiving during the Edo period were chufuu (stroke), cataracts and other eye diseases leading to blindness, and dementia. However, dementia was not recognized as a specific condition at the time, and it was often treated as a natural part of aging, with people saying everyone becomes senile as they get older. Thus, dementia-related causes were not fully understood or recorded as a distinct illness, but it is believed that there were some cases.”

Today, caregiving is a more diversified role, with family members and professional caregivers involved. So what motivated caregiving in Edo society?

“Both samurai and commoners felt a sense of familial duty, and there was an awareness that they needed to properly care for aging parents and grandparents. One key influence was Confucian education.

The Tokugawa shogunate began promoting public education widely during the time of the 5th shogun, Tsunayoshi. From the Kansei period onwards, Confucianism and Zhu Xi’s teachings were taught at official schools set up by the shogunate, domain schools established by the lords, and even private schools attended by commoners. These teachings emphasized the concept of filial piety, and when parents aged and needed care, the mindset was that caring for them took precedence over all other duties.”

Saki also traced the caregiving practices of ancient and medieval Japan and found that, in stark contrast to the Edo period, there was a chaotic and tragic past in those times.