論文
近世在郷商人から近代的企業家へ
―兵庫県印南郡稲岡商店による輸出向タオル製造の事例―
2023 年 58 巻 2 号 p. 3-29
詳細
2023 年 58 巻 2 号 p. 3-29
This paper analyses business of Inaoka Co. in modern Japan, which was a cotton towel weaving company established in 1891. The founder of Inaoka Co. had an origin of localprivileged cotton merchant in Edo period and became one of local landowners after the Meiji Restoration.
After the establishment in 1891, Inaoka Co.’s business developed rapidly with growing towel export to China. In the background, Japanese export to Asia was growing in late 19th century along its light industry’s industrial revolution. So the case of Inaoka Co. is a typical case of modern Japanese small light industry company’s success.
After the opening domestic market, Japanese pre-modern cotton industry was in the state of crisis. So Inaoka Co.’s local area faced critical unemployment problem. Inaoka founder started building small manufacture and gathering hand-weaving workers in local area to save their living in a certain state.
Their old business partners, Osaka merchants brought them not only imported cotton threads but also other modern imported goods. Towel was one of innovative and expensive items in those days, so Osaka merchants asked local cotton weaving manufacturers to produce it. Osaka merchants generously introduced this towel weaving technique to Inaoka founder, instead of that Inaoka Co.’s towels was traded through Osaka merchants’ network in first decade.
The key of Inaoka Co.’s leap was the trade with Chinese merchant in Kobe and with Japanese merchant in Shanghai at the beginning of 20th century. These international trading company promised Inaoka Co. a huge demand for towels with Inaoka’s original brand logos.
Although the political turmoil in China such as the Chinese revolution damaged Inaoka Co.’s towel export temporary, they tried to introduce power looms in late 1900s. Until the end of the boom of WWI, hand weaving towels remained in Inaoka Co.’s main production however. The end of the boom induced the shutdown of hand weaving small factories and it also meant the end of the local employment guardian movement of Inaoka Co..
