Abstract
The purpose of this paper is to follow the decline of traditional iron industry (Tatara) in Japan in three stages. The first blow to the industry was the poor harvest of 1869. Iron masters were further pressed by new mineral acts of Meiji government in 1872-1873. Though they enjoyed feudal privileges vested by Han government during the Edo period, these privileges were abolished by the new acts. The final blow was the increase of imports of iron from western countries. Japanese iron produced under traditional methods could not match imported iron both in quality and price. The decline of traditional iron industry led to the introduction of western methods of iron production in the early Meiji period.
