1874 年に制定された救貧法令である恤救規則について，主として群馬県を事例として，人びとがどのように恤救規則による救助を受けるに至るのかを検討した。その結果，ある時期から，出願の主体が町村ではなく本人になること，また恤救規則が適用される前の段階で，半ば賃労働であり，半ば慈善であるような仕事をする段階を経由すること，それらは近世身分制社会の解体という文脈で理解されるべきことを指摘した。
The purpose of this study is to examine how the poor in 19th century Japan were rescued by Poor Law (Jukkyu Kisoku), mainly through the case of Gunma Prefecture. As a result of the research, it becomes clear that initially the town or village where the poor resided was the entity that applied for the application of the Poor Law, but this was later changed to the poor themselves. It was also discovered that the poor were subjected to benefit from the Poor Law after going through a phase of work that was given to them by their neighbors as one-half wage labor and one-half charity. These phenomena should be understood in the context of dismantling the early modern status society.

論説