ABSTRACT
Before Meiji there were the fixed and rigid class lines of feudal lord, samurai, farmer, artisan, and merchant. In Suye Mura this meant a large level class of farmers in most of the buraku with a few artisans and one or more samurai. In addition to the samurai, it seems there were also a certain number of foot-soldiers (ashigaru) located in Nakashima. Some of the upper-class farmers to-day are descendants of these ashigaru.
