19世紀における北海道漁業構造の転換

―歌棄郡種前村を事例として―

抄録

Both as a source of fertilizer and coal and as a destination for peasants and samurai migrating to flee poverty, Hokkaido in the second half of the nineteenth century played a large role in the development of the Japanese economy. This paper will examine the structural changes of a key industry in late nineteenth century Hokkaido, the fishing industry. From this analysis, a few observations will then be made on the characteristics of primitive capital accumulation in Japan.

During the Edo period, the fishing industry in Hokkaido operated under the basho-ukeoi system. Influential merchants, known as basho-ukeoi merchants, held exclusive fishing and trade rights in the Ezo area. However, at the end of the Tokugawa period, many Japanese fishermen moved into Ezo and began to undermine the basho-ukeoi merchants' monopoly on fishing and trade. With the Meiji Restoration, the Ezo fisheries were freed from the control of the basho-ukeoi merchants. The number of Japanese fishermen continued to grow in the Meiji period. Despite losing their franchise, the former basho-ukeoi merchants continued to be influential fishermen and merchants in Hokkaido.

Due to Matukata Deflation, many of the Japanese fishermen in Hokkaido accumulated debts with these merchants and were eventually forced to sell them their fisheries. On the other hand, fishermen who remained independent from the merchants were able to expand their operations during this period by buying up a large number of fisheries. In the 1890s, these fishermen and merchants gained a monopolistic control of the fisheries in Hokkaido.

Later, these two groups became the source of capital for local dealers in Hokkaido. Thus, in Hokkaido, there were two routes by which industrial capitalists appeared: former basho-ukeoi merchants who changed their activities after losing their monopolistic rights in the Meiji period, and fishermen who were able to expand their operations during a time when economic hardship was causing a differentiation in the peasantry. In particular, the route followed by the basho-ukeoi merchants differs from the one widely viewed as the typical route to capitalism followed by the Seisho, who became industrial capitalists with the support of the government. It should be noted that outside the major industrial centers, primitive capital accumulation took place without govemment support or protection.