抄録
This paper focuses on the activities of the Sendai Pharmaceutical Guild during the Edo Period, clarifying the production and distribution of Japanese crude drugs in local cultivation areas, and discussing the role of local merchant groups in this process.
It is thought that local cultivation areas played an important role in the manufacturing of Japanese crude drugs, although there are few historical discussions of economics about the production and distribution in these areas. Therefore, this paper discusses the activities of a merchants' group in handling Sendai crude drugs through a case study.
In view of the above discussions, this paper has clarified that the process of crude drug cultivation expanded in Sendai Han, and that the changes in distribution verify Sendai Han as an important local cultivation area. In this case study, the contribution of Sendai Pharmaceutical Guild in propelling the production of domestic crude drugs from the late 17th Century to mid-18th Century is also seen, while negative effects of the local merchants group could be seen beginning from the late 18th Century.
