Measles Epidemics During the Edo Period: An Analysis Using DANJURO Ver. 7.0

Measles epidemics had a large influence on Japanese society during the Edo period (1600–1868). Spreading throughout the country periodically and particularly affecting young people, the disease had the power to drastically alter both rural and urban communities. This paper seeks to apply a mixed digital analysis to data garnered from religious membership registers (Shūmon aratame-chō 宗門改帳) taken from the Edo jidai ni okeru jinkō bunseki shisutemu 江戸時代における人口分析システム (DANJURO ver. 7.0) [Edo Period Population Analysis System (DANJURO ver. 7.0)] in order to determine what information these documents might hold pertaining to measles epidemics. Previous studies have suggested that these documents are only of limited use for studying epidemics since they do not feature information on the causes of deaths or on infant mortality. However, this paper illustrates that it is possible to garner insights about measles epidemics through data extracted from shūmon aratame-chō. In addition to this, the paper suggests that the data accessible through DANJURO can be used to challenge assumptions that measles outbreaks were not as significant as those of other diseases in terms of mortality and societal impact. Finally, the paper suggests that the ordering of information from shūmon aratame-chō in DANJURO acts to humanize those data. (JHM)