Seibyobo (the register of standing crops) (青苗簿)

Seibyobo (the register of standing crops) refers to an account book recording the actual conditions of cultivation of rice field in the Ritsuryo system (a system of centralized government based on the ritsuryo code).

In the Ritsuryo system, kubunden (rice fields given to each farmer in the Ritsuryo system) was given to each farmer, but in fact, there also existed lands which were not cultivated due to escape of farmers and so on, or on the contrary, on which chinso (land taxes under the Ritsuryo system) was imposed despite there were no specific cultivators from the beginning. Therefore, it was necessary to grasp the actual conditions of cultivation in order to calculate anticipated tax yields, and to implement an exemption from distribution of assignments at the time of disaster. What was created for the above purpose was seibyobo.

In Japan, seibyobo-shiki (codes and regulations on seibyobo) was established in 717, each province was ordered to create seibyobo, and surveys on kubunden (rice fields given to each farmer in the Ritsuryo system), rice fields provided for chinso, joden (surplus fields) and so on came to be conducted.

[Original Japanese]