ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses early Meiji attempts to reform registration practices and the establishment and enactment of the 1871 Household Registration Law. It explores how this law hastened the dismantling of the Edo outcaste order, prompting the creation of other related pieces of legislation, and disempowering outcastes in seemingly intractable ways. Population registration in Japan based on the 'ko' or 'household' that is rooted in an older East Asian model originating in China. One intriguing example of a fraternity is what Gerald Groemer has called the Edo outcaste order. This was a multilayered system of outcaste governance led by the 'eta' leader Danzaemon living in Edo, encompassing outcastes living across over eight nearby provinces. 'Dual rule' clearly gave rise to a distinct political culture. One of the main difficulties for Meiji authorities was what to do with townspeople and warriors. The Household Registration Law required all status groups to register as households with local government authorities in the same geographical locality.
