Japan Census Records - FamilySearch Historical Records

Japan

What is in the Collection?
This collection of Japanese census records originates primarily from Ehime-ken in Shikoku, Japan. The collection consists of records spanning from 1661-1875. The images in this collection derive from original records located in the Ehime-ken Prefecture Library and the Kyushu Historical Museum.

The census records included in this collection are called Shumoncho (宗門帳). The Shumoncho were created to check the religion of the villager in conjunction with a Christianity suppression law during the Edo period.

Some records may have faded ink or water damage.

Reading These Records
These records are written Japanese; also see the section For Help Reading These Records for translation helps.

What Can This Collection Tell Me?
Census records may contain the following information:


 * Residence
 * Names of family members
 * Birth dates of family members
 * Ages of family members at the time of census
 * Sect affiliation

How Do I Search the Collection?
Before using this collection it is helpful to know:
 * Your ancestor's given name and surname
 * Identifying information such as residence

View The Images
View images in this collection by visiting the Browse Page.
 * 1) Select Prefecture (都道府県)
 * 2) Select County or City (郡又は市)
 * 3) Select Title (題名), Volume (巻), Page (頁), and Year (年) to view the images.

For Help Reading these Records
For help with reading these Japanese records, see the following resources:


 * Glossary of Japanese Genealogical Terms

How Do I Analyze the Results?
Compare each result from your search with what you know to determine if there is a match. This may require viewing multiple records or images.

What Do I Do Next?

 * Use the age to calculate a birth date.
 * When looking for a person who had a common name, look at all the entries for the name before deciding which is correct.
 * Check for variant spellings of the names.
 * Titles may be clues to property ownership, occupations, rank, or status within the community.
 * Continue to search the index and records to identify children, siblings, parents, and other relatives

Citing this Collection
When you copy information from a record, you should list where you found the information; that is, cite your sources. This will help people find the record again and evaluate the reliability of the source. It is also good to keep track of records where you did not find information, including the names of the people you looked for in the records. Citations are available for the collection as a whole and each record or image individually.

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