市場と貨幣に対する律令政府の支配力

抄録

In the early years of the eighth century, there were no price controls in Ritsuryo law, and price fluctuations were therefore legally recognized. The historical records provide evidence that the government minted copper coins as a medium of exchange, and that these were widely accepted as legal tender. In other words, there is no real basis for the current theory that in the early years of the eighth century copper coins were only a one-way means of payment. In 760, the government minted new coins and gave them a value ten times greater than that of the preceding coins. This caused inflation, and by 772 both types of coin had an equal currency value in the market. In 772, use of the older coins was prohibited by the law. But even after this prohibition was issued, the older coins continued to be circulated, and in 779, the government approved the circulation of both types. The equalization of currency value, and the continued circulation of the older coins despite the attempt to prohibit them, show the limited extent of the Nara government's ability to control the money supply.