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Documentary Sources of Tokugawa Economic and Social History
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 23 March 2011
Extract
Despite the recurrent ravages of fire and earthquake and the devastation of the Pacific War, a sizeable volume of documentary material survives from Japan's Tokugawa period (1603–1868). Although its government archives may not be as large as those of the older centralized states of western Europe, the written record of the daily life of the Japanese people compares favourably with that of any other people over the same period. Several factors have counterbalanced Japan's unusually high incidence of natural calamities. At the time, literacy was more widespread than in most other countries and paper was plentiful and reasonably cheap. The “Tokugawa system” was effectively designed to reduce social, occupational, and geographic mobility to a minimum, so that, particularly in rural areas, a given family occupied the same station and fulfilled the same role for a long period. To a lesser extent, this was true even of commercial families. The popular idea of the impermanence of trade as a vocation was true only relative to the ideally almost immutable situation in agriculture. Strangely enough, it was the daimyo, members of the highest class, who, at least in the earlier period, were most mobile. Because of the continuity of family roles over long periods, records of, say, the late seventeenth century still had some relevance for descendants in the mid-nineteenth century, and so they tended to be preserved. Particularly in cities and towns, the rapid changes associated with the breakup of the Tokugawa system were undoubtedly accompanied by the loss of many records.
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References
1 A considerable volume is now available. See sections, komonjo, shiryō, chihōshi, etc. in Eijirō, Honjō, Nihon keizaishi bunken (Tokyo, 1953–59), Vols. 1–4.Google Scholar
2 Kinsei shiryō kinkyūkai, comp., Kinsei shiryō shōei, published by Gakujutsu bunken fukyūkai. Three volumes have appeared since 1954.
3 I am, however, indebted to, among others, Professor Miyamoto of Osaka University. Some of his vast store of document knowledge is published in Mataji, Miyamoto, Fukenshishi no henshū ni tsuite (Osaka fushi henshū shiryōshitsu, 1959).Google Scholar
4 By far the most complete inventory available is Kinsei shomin shiryō chōsa iinkai, comp., Kinsei shomin shiryō shozai mokuroku (Tokyo: Nihon gakujutsu shinkōkai, 1952).Google Scholar
5 Most of the more important economic writings are available in Seiichi, Takimoto, comp., Nihon keizai taiten (Tokyo, 1928–30)Google Scholar. Most of the jottings are also published in one or another of the standard collections. Their use is greatly facilitated by Tamesaburō, Ōta, Nihon zuihitsu sakuin, (rev. ed. 1926, suppl. 1932)Google Scholar; and by the indexes to Koji ruien and Kojitsu sōsho. See also Takami, Mozume, comp., Köbunko (Tokyo, 1916–18).Google Scholar
6 Considerable guidance can be obtained, however, from such works as Seiichi, Takimoto and Shikamatsu, Mukai, Nihon sangyö shiryö taikei (Tokyo, 1926–27)Google Scholar and kyōgikai, Chihöshi kinkyü, comp., Nihon sangyöshi taikei (Tokyo, 1959–).Google Scholar
7 In Shakai keizai shigaku, II (1932–33), 7, 8, 10, 11.
8 Ryosuke, Ishii, Kyōho senyo ruijü (Tokyo, 1944)Google Scholar; chōsabū, Shihōshō, comp., Oshiokirei ruishū (Tokyo, 1941–43, 4 vols.).Google Scholar
9 “Tokugawa rizai kaiyō,” pub. in Nihon heizai taken, Vols. 53, 54.
10 Ōkurashō, , comp., Nihon zaisei keizai shiryō (Tokyo, 1922–25, 11 vols.).Google Scholar
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12 Ii Tairō shijitsu kenkyukai, Ii Tairō no kinkyū. The first volume appeared in 1950.
13 A descriptive catalogue of this collection is available in Hiroshi, Tanaami, “Mizuno ke shiryō ni tsuite,” Shigaku zasshi, LX (March 1951), 3.Google Scholar
14 According to Professor Ito Tasaburo. See his “Bakumatsu no shiryo ni tsuite,” Shigaku zasshi, LXI (July 1952), 7.Google Scholar
15 Since these publications are listed in Nihon keizaishi bunken there is no need to mention them here. It is worth noting that they are found in several sections of the bibliography, namely “chihōshi,” “hōrei oyobi hōseishi,” “komonjo oyobi shiryō,” and “sōsho.” For a recent survey of work in the field see Tamotsu, Fujino “Hanseishi kinkyū no kaiko to genzai,” Shigaku zasshi, XXIV (May 1958), 2.Google Scholar
16 These are listed in Vol. 4 of Shiryōkan shozō shiryō mokuroku (Tokyo: Shiryōkan, 1955).Google Scholar
17 A part of this work covering Ōtsu-gun has been published in Masatoshi, Fūki, Fūdo chushin an (Tokyo, 1934).Google Scholar
18 Tokyo daigaku shiryō hensanjo, comp., Dainihon kinsei shiryō, (Tokyo, 1953)Google Scholar. More material of this kind can be expected in this excellent series.
19 For example, in Takeo, Ono, comp., Kinsei chihō keizai shiryō (Tokyo: Yoshikawa Kōbunkan, 1958)Google Scholar; Seiichi, Takimoto, comp., Nihon keizai taiten (Tokyo: Keimeisha, 1928)Google Scholar, and Nihon keizai sōsho kankokai, comp., Tzūzoku keizai bunko (Tokyo, 1916–17, 12 vols.)Google Scholar. A useful bibliography of treatises on all aspects of agriculture, fisheries, and other rural pursuits was prepared by the Japanese Ministry of Agriculture in 1891 and is published both at the end of Dainihon nōshi and in the first volume of Nihon sangyō shiryō taikei.
20 Tokyo University's Economics Department has quite a large collection of these from Izu and Hokkaido. Probably the most complete published collection is Keizō, Shibusawa, Zushū Uchiura gyomin shiryō (Attic Museum, 1938–39)Google Scholar. Several other collections of fishing village documents are published by the Attic Museum.
21 For example, in Heijiro, Kuroha, comp., Ōsaka shōgyō shiryō shūsei (Osaka shōka daigaku keizai kinkyūjo, 1934–40)Google Scholar, contains a good deal of material on the bankers' association (Ryōgae nakama). Some of the material held by the Osaka Chamber of Commerce and Industry under the general title Ōsaka shōgyōshi shiryō is published in Seiichirō, Funakoshi, comp., Naniwa sōsho (1926–30)Google Scholar. Similar material for Edo as well as Osaka is published in kankōkai, Kokusho, comp., Tokugawa jidai shōgyō sōsho (Tokyo, 1913).Google Scholar
22 Kōchū ryōgae nendaiki (Tokyo: Iwanami, 1932)Google Scholar, Shinkō ryogae nendaiki kanken (Tokyo: Iwanami, 1933). etc.Google Scholar
23 Especially myōmokukin.
24 Shiryōkan shozō shiryō mokuroku, Vol. 3, 1954.Google Scholar
25 Shirokiya sanbyakunenshi (Tokyo, 1957).Google Scholar
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27 See articles by Ogura Eiichiro in Hikone ronsō, 1957–59.