From old times, neat, which is commonly called “chin-ushi” (literally means “hired cattle”), has been brought to the plains of Kochi away from the owners' homes in the circumference to be temporarily borrowed and used in the Plains. Especially, the typical type of this kind of dealings is found in the plains of Kacho along the upper course and the downstream of the River Monobe; where neat has been lented and borrowed through Yamada Market before the war, and at present through Birafu Market. Although the plains of Kochi are primarily for rice growing, the hoarding power in this region is very scanty, that of rice culter being only 10% compared with that of the district along the upper stream of the River Monobe. Moreover, owing to the running of two successive rice crops, the spring season of bemar d for the stock comes one or two months earlier than in monutain villages. Under these circumstances neat came to be lent and berrowed from the farmers in mountain villages in the first decade of April.
There are the following two kinds of loan of neat: “Katakuwa” (literally means “one spade”) in which neat is lent and borrowed only once a year in spring, and “Ryokuwa” (literally menas “both spades”) which means the loan of neat twice a year in spring and summer. The latter is the type of loan born of the operation of two successive rice crops, and peculiar to this region. Though originally, the loan of neat came into existence in the plains along the upper course and the downstream of the River Monobe, with no connection with the operation of two successive rice crops, the former, s ups and downs have kept in step with that of the latter. Naturally, during the golden age of two successive rice crops, “Ryokuwa” accounted for 80% of the total number of neat lent and borrowed then. At present, however, the decline of running of two successive rice crops resulted in the fact that “Katakuwa” has been increasing on the contrary. Besides, in the plains where the total number of neat amounted to 2, 000 during the golden age, approximately in the 8th year of Showa, the present number of neat has fallen decidedly to 25% of the above number.
Rent was paid in unhulled rice during the pre-war days, but is paid in cash at present. The former was by far gainful for the farmers in mountain villages; which can be understood from the fact that there were some farmers who secured their consuming rice by means of three or four neats. Accordingly, to the poor farmers in mountain villages, the loan of neat was the important means for securing the essential provisions; and on the other hand, it was also advantageous to those poor farmers in the plains, enabling them to cultivate the rice-field in cheap wags in a short period of time. Although it was thus of mutual aid in the past, it has become of less economical importance compared with the loan of neat in the pre-war days, owing to the change in social conditions of the farming villages both in mountainous region and plains. Besides the regular rent, fish of “Thunomiyage” presented by the borrower to the lender was very much appreciated by the farmers in mountain villages; which custom, however, has gone out of fashion. The centre for the loan of neat is found in the settlements located in the southern part of Makiyama and zaishomura along the River Monobe, which are comparatively near a market of domestic animals and borrowers' region. There, 60-70% of the total neat is being lent and borrowed even today. The plains of Kacho situated in the east half of the plains of Kochi are the centre for borrowing neat: and besides, a new centre has recently been established in the mountain villages in the basin of the River Yoshino. To tie plains of Tosa, namely the east half of the plains of Kochi, neat is borrowed from Nagahama district on the west coast of Urato Bay.
