The Structure of the Landlord Economy in the Tohoku District, 1905-1945.

Abstract

In this paper, the writer tries to clarify some characteristics of the landlord management in Tohoku district, where was the core of the landlordism in Japan, taking the konishi family as a casestudy, The Konishis had already possesed 50 cho in the early Meiji era. The Konishis gathered more lands in the latter period of Russo-Japanese war, and possesed 80 cho in the Taisho era. The main resources of income for the Konishis were the farm rents. Their surplus funds were invested in lands and stocks. During the economic depression of 1927 and 1930, many landlords in Tohoku district also obliged to reduce their income, and some of theme began to sell and lose their own lands. But the Konishis got over difficulty by steady management, and rather extended their lands in 1935-1940 after the depression. Most of Konishis' landholding were concentrated in the village where they lived. Therefore they were able to contorol the tenant farmers very minutely, and they actually did so. In 1935, the reajustment of arable land was carried out in this village with the aid of national funds. In this project the Konishis played a leading role. Consequently Konishis' administration could get more steadiness. Under the war-time system of World War II the Konishis began to fall. In 1941, the government ordered the rent-control policy and the double-price system on rice. Dissatisfaction of the tenant farmers against landlords grew stronger. Consequently the Konishis' income decreased rapidly. However the Konishis' landholding had been maintained untill just before the Land-Reform after World War II.