Abstract
This paper is concerned with the management organization of the Ono Gonemon family, descendants of the house of Ono Zensuke. The Ono Gonemon house was known by the name Kagiya in Kyoto and Izustuya in Nambu Koriyama. In Kyoto the family engaged in the trade of products from northern Japan, and acted as pawn brokers and second-hand dealers. They possessed a kabu license for waste paper and were active in second-hand trade as well as other businesses. In Nambu the family was involved in sake brewing, pawn brokerage, and money exchange, and served the han government in each of these occupations. In the present paper, house lineage, house precepts, and store rules are introduced, the management structure of the Nambu store and its relations with Kyoto are examined in detail, and business conditions and the organization of bekke branch families are also discussed. The management of commodities, organization of account books, accumulation of property, and sake brewing will be discussed in a subsequent article.
