ABSTRACT
The term outcaste is both ugly and offensive, but it is an accurate description of a group of people in society who are set apart and not accepted, often for no rational reason, other than the fact that the majority group creates myths and social fabric which keeps the relationship unchanged. Outcaste groups are commonly found in Asian societies. The best known is that of India, but they exist in, among other countries, China, Tibet and Korea. They have several common denominational features, such as association with unclean or lowly occupations; disposing of the dead is just one example. It is also commonly believed that outcastes have alien ancestry which reinforces the belief of the majority community in their own racial purity and superiority. In such respects the Japanese outcastes are very typical. The history of this group provides something of a case study of the scale of social change after the Restoration, and the upheaval which accompanied it. This history shows too that economic circumstances may change radically while tracts of social life can stay intact. It also illustrates that Japanese society in the Edo Era was more complex than the received account indicates; that is the division into four classes, samurai, peasants, artisans and merchants. Even the lowest group was fractionised, containing at least two major groups.
