Abstract
This study analyzes the political and social contexts of industrialization through a comparative analysis of policies and institutional arrangements for porcelain production and distribution in Tokugawa Japan. By introducing the concept of “resource-governance,” this paper examines how and in what context specific arrangements were formulated that defined the ways of organizing resources for porcelain production and distribution. The analysis shows regional variations in resource-governance conditioned by the different ways and degrees of involvement by regional political authorities and those who were engaged in porcelain production and distribution. While the regional authority made a strong claim over resources for porcelain production and distribution in one region, producers and merchants appealed to the political authorities to legitimate their interests and activities in other regions. This comparative analysis illuminates multiple forms of governing resources for porcelain production and distribution that shaped the variant paths to industrialization.
