12世紀末の宋銭排除論とその背景

抄録

Towards the end of the twelfth century, Chinese copper coins began to circulate in Japan. However, it is well documented that the rulers of the country at the time tried to exclude these coins. Up till now, researchers have ascribed this reaction to the entry of Chinese coins as ideological, due to the fact that they were a foreign currency, an obstacle to domestic trade and therefore the cause of price fluctuations. However, analysis of the contemporary legal situation regarding prices and interestrates, and the debates about them, reveals that the main reason lay elsewhere. It was a response to the fact that the circulation of Chinese copper coins resulted in a devaluation of rice, which the rulers used as currency. In fact, the rulers did not think of the Song dynasty coins as the only cause of the problem, since they criticized all copper coins including Japanese ones. It is therefore clear that the argument was not ideological but economic. Moreover, comparison with the Liao dynasty of north China and the Koryo dynasty of Korea shows that gold dust for export was an important factor that allowed the circulation of copper coins in Japan.