The Structure and Development of the Shuku in the 17th century

Abstract

This paper discusses the structure and development of shuku (宿, towans or villages which functioned for lodging, traffic and transportaion) in the 17th century through some cases along the Nakasendo, and other roads in Kozuke and Shinano Provinces. The author takes notices that shuku, which so far have been treated apart from village society, should be considered within the socialeconomic trends of the whole society, observing spontaneous and actual transpotation, not presumed with privileged positions of shuku established by the rulers. His conclusions are as follows. In the 17th century, one of the social-economic issues surrounding shuku was whether the toiya (問屋) monopolized the transport of drayages or other inhabitants shared in such transport as yado (宿 shuku lodgings). Originally toiya did monopolize transport, but in the course of time, other inhabitants degan to request it on the basis of the development of trade between the shuku and their vicinities. Thus, toiya lost their monopoly and came to play only a specialized role in controlling official traffic and transportation. On the other hand, there was another possibility of toiya keeping their monopolies and passing them on from generation to generation, but in these cases as well, the relationship between toiya and the community changed. That is to say, inhabitants competed with the toiya in order to aquire equal rights to transport drayage. Other inhabitants began to restrict toiya activities and subsumed them under the principle of the community as mawashi 廻し (taking turns). Such conflict between toiya and yado can be found in many aspects of trade and transportion. This paper observes that such conflict took place, it was characteristically between influential toiya and town communities.