Japan, Village Records, 709-1982
A collection of village records from all localities in Japan. Browse by locality, beginning with the Prefecture of interest, then County/City or Town/Village, then by Record Type. Record types can include: Religious Inquisition Censuses (shumoncho), Tax records, Financial records, Buddhist records, Shinto records and Registers of officials and employees. Records will be added as they become available. Click on the locality of interest to see records from that area.
Japan, Village Records
Source: https://www.familysearch.org/en/wiki/Japan,_Village_Records_-_FamilySearch_Historical_Records
What is in This Collection?
This collection includes records from 709 to 1949, and includes village records from all over Japan. These records include land records, genealogies, religious censuses, and individual family records. Japanese villages were responsible for several types of records that can be of significant genealogical value, especially when the religious inquisition census records (shumoncho) are unavailable.
This collection includes the following records:
- Land and property records
- Tax records (who paid taxes, etc.)
- Population and status records (a type of census)
- Lists of people who were drafted into the military
- Financial records
- Conservation project records
Additional records and/or images may be added to this collection in the future.
What Can These Records Tell Me?
The following information may be found in these records:
- Person's full name
- Age
- Date of transaction
- Occupation
- Residence
- Birth date
Collection Content
Sample Images
Land Record
Religious Census
Promisory note
Tax record
Collection Details
Language
Japanese
Location of Original Records
Kyushu Historical Museum. Various libraries and archives
"日本 村政記録, 709-1982." Images. FamilySearch. http://FamilySearch.org : 6 February 2026. Citing Kyushu Historical Museum. Various libraries and archives.
