Edo Gonin Gumi Punished Neighbors

In Japan during the Edo period, authorities organized commoners into gonin gumi, groups of five households that they held collectively responsible for crimes and other offenses. If one family broke the law or failed in its duties, officials could punish all five households, even those who had done nothing wrong. The system encouraged neighbors to watch each other closely and pressured everyone in the group to keep one another from causing trouble.

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