Zenko Seihyo (善行旌表)
Zenko Seihyo was a practice of awarding a person for a good conduct and announcing it in public. Leaders often applied the practice as a part of their policy.
Summary
In Japan, after 702 when the imperial rescript was issued announcing that examples of filial obedience would be awarded, Zenko Seihyo was frequently carried out during the Nara and the Heian periods.
Especially at times of a change of era name, enthronement of emperor, or calamity, good examples of koshi (dutiful child), junson (obedient grandchild), seppu (faithful woman), giboku (faithful servant), rikidensha (faithful and earnest farmer) and so forth were awarded.
When the Edo period began, the practice was more frequently carried out -- In 1720, Yoshimune TOKUGAWA laid down a provision for awarding those who practiced tokugyo (virtuous conduct); and in 1798, Sadanobu MATSUDAIRA conducted a large-scale survey of koshi and kitokusha (commendable person) and published 'Kogiroku' (the collection of documents about awards given by the bakufu and the daimyo) and 'Kogiroku zokuhen' (Kogiroku, continued).
Various feudal clans carried out the practice one after another, following the bakufu's awards, and published many collections of documents of awards granted for good deeds including 'Geibikogiroku' and 'Kanoetsu sanshu ryominden.'
In the Meiji period, an ordinance for granting rewards was prescribed by imperial edict -- such that rewards were to be granted to the most conspicuous among: those who saved a life; koshi; junson; giboku; hard-working businessman; a person who involved in invention and innovation; and those who served the public interest by devoted themselves to education, hygiene, social service, projects to prevent epidemics, repair and construction of road, alveus, bank, and bridge, construction of school and hospital, and development of farms and fields.
Prefectures frequently awarded persons for their good deeds, and private educational organizations also followed the awards.
In 1926, the Department of the Imperial Household particularly awarded the men of virtue, and compiled and published 'the collection of documents about awards given in the Taisho period.'