Characteristics of Extended Families in Shirakawa Village
There is no strict definition for what constituted a typical extended family in Shirakawa, as the size of the family and specific living arrangements differed somewhat from village to village. Nevertheless, a typical extended family was led by the head of the household, who lived together with his wife, their heir and his family, and their other children. Daughters remained in the house after marriage and were visited regularly by their husbands, as did sons without inheritance rights, who in turn visited their wives elsewhere in the village. Children born to the daughters of the family were raised by the head of the household.