Definition of the term • building used as an abode ie • family or household • family group, in the sense of the Japanese legal code • kinship group or clan, includes ancestors as well as heirs
„The ie is a patrilineage, a network of households related through their respective heads, comprising main houses, branch houses, and the branches of branch houses traced down through the generations.“ (HALL, John Witney, BEARDSLEY, Richard K.: Twelve Doors to Japan. New York et al.: McGraw-Hill Book Co 1965, p. 78)
