抄録
The stage-towns on the highways under the control of the Shogunate government in the late days of the Edo era, as generally known, destituted because of over loading obligation. The writer shows in this paper an example of destitution of a stage-town.
A stage-town, Kamisuwa, in the Edo era was combined with the castle-town and located along the Nakasendo highway. In the early Edo era the stage office of Kamisuwa was obliged to prepare fifty carriers and fifty horses for transportating goods and passengers. The inhabitants of the stage-town shared the obligation according to each house scale. With increase of transporting goods and passengers, the houses which shared the obligation extended to the proper area of the castle-town and the back streets of the highway.
After the middle of the Edo era, influenced by the commercial development, some rich merchants emerged while many poor townsmen increased. As a result, the share of rich merchants increased, ontheother hand, that of poor people decreased. However, rich merchants paid their charge in money for practical labour. After the reformation their charge money increased continuously. Accordingly economical destitution of Kamisuwa faced on the critical situation.
