A samurai could divorce his wife for a variety of reasons with approval from a superior, but divorce was, while not entirely nonexistent, a rare event. A wife's failure to produce a son was cause for divorce, but adoption of a male heir was considered an acceptable alternative to divorce. A samurai could divorce for personal reasons, even if he simply did not like his wife, but this was generally avoided as it would embarrass the person who had arranged the marriage. A woman could also arrange a divorce, although it would generally take the form of the samurai divorcing her. After a divorce samurai had to return the betrothal money, which often prevented divorces. COUNT 4
QSN1 How common was divorce for samurai? ANS1 rare QSN2 What could samurai do instead of divorce if their wife couldn't produce a son? ANS2 adoption of a male heir QSN3 Why did samurai avoid divorcing for reasons of dislike? ANS3 it would embarrass the person who had arranged the marriage QSN4 What financial concern prevented divorce? ANS4 After a divorce samurai had to return the betrothal money