地方の企業勃興とその担い手

―福岡県を事例として―

抄録

In this paper, I considered the features of the enterprise boom in local area and its carrier focused on the case in Fukuoka prefecture. Considerations in this paper includes only corporations and the period is by 1899. The facts clarified by the considerations in this paper are briefly mentioned as follows.
In Fukuoka prefecture, first of all, it started from establishments of financial companies. In the late 1880s, industrial infrastructure, such as railway companies or harbour construction companies, and spinning companies were risen. After the mid of 1890s, number of establishments of companies were increasing and it didn't occurred only in limited area, but also did at several areas. Number of establishment of companies from 1893 to 1899 reached 196 and it peaked in 1897.
Seeing the details of the number of companies regarding to their categories, the highest was 86 in banking business, followed by 54 in manufacturing industry, 39 in commerce, 8 in transportation business, 6 in mining industry, 3 fisheries. The capital of railway business, as transportation, was prominantly large. However, 153 companies, 78.1% of 196 of them in total, were medium and small enterprises whose capital was not more than 100,000 yen.
Number of directors at 196 companies mentioned above was 929 in total and 744 at actual number. Most of them were local wealth holders in Fukuoka prefecture and to possess a certain amount of wealth was important factor to form entrepreneurs. Considering the relations between establishment of companies and origins of entrepreneurs, landowners were enthusiastic to found banks and local merchants were enthusiastic to set up companies had wide varieties.