Much ink has been spilled on discussions of the Gotō family, the school of sōken kinkō (sword fitting engravers) that was at the heart of the world of sword fittings from the Muromachi through to the Bakumatsu (15th C. - late 19th C.). This cannot however be said for the family’s sub-branch in Kyōto, the ‘Kyō-Gotō’. Despite the dearth of research on the Kyō-Gotō, its members do appear in a number of records of cultural activity in the city from the early Edo period. Proceeding under the assumption that they were active in the area’s cultural industry to some degree, in this study I try to ascertain the extent of Gotō family activity in Kyōto by focussing on the most prominent member of the Kyō-Gotō, the founder of the Kanbē family, Gotō Kakujō (1589-1656). Using historical records and works by the Kyō-Gotō, I shine a light on the central position of the Kanbē among the various Kyō-Gotō families, as well as on the close relationship Kakujō and those in his orbit had with a broad spectrum of high society, including with Maeda Toshitsune, Emperor Go-Mizunoo, Kobori Enshū, and Hōrin Jōshō. By also closely examining how their Nichiren Buddhist faith and passion for the city in which they lived played into their success, this investigation will provide a first step towards attaining a comprehensive understanding of the wider Kyō-Gotō.

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[in Japanese]

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This paper examines the theory that the size of the principal image influenced the planning of column spacing, and whether such an influence could be established logically, based on the processual pre- and post-relationships between the two that are evident in literary sources. The conclusions are as follows: (1) The general order of the process of erection of the principal image and construction of the building is that the principal image is created after the building is constructed. In some cases, the creation of the principal image is delayed until after the construction of the building. If there is a dimensional relationship between the two, it is possible that the planning of the column spacing in Kondo might affect the size of the principal image. (2) Even if a building was constructed after the principal image was created, it is difficult to find a clear correspondence between the size of the principal image and the planning of the column spacing. It can also be pointed out that each of them may have been constructed independently without reference to the other. (3) From the above discussion, it can be pointed out that the theory that the main temple influenced the planning of the column spacing is difficult to establish logically.

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In this paper, I examine the production and distribution of oils in the Osaka market and production area (Settsu, Kawachi, and Izumi provinces) from the Ansei period onwards, following the dissolution and revival of merchants’ guilds. Hideo Tsuda has studied this topic through an analysis of popular protests and uprisings in the Ansei and Keio period, in which it became a point of contention that oil producers in Settsu and Kawachi provinces had made an agreement about market price of rapeseeds on the grounds that they contributed “Official Ordered Oil” (goyōabura). Because the police sergeant (yoriki) of the magistrate's office of Osaka had rejected the requests by protest representatives, Tsuda concluded that the Bakufu had shifted its focus of protection from the Osaka oil merchants who were licensed to handle distribution of the finished product to local oil producers. In this paper, I focus on the documents of the oil wholesalers and producers who handled distribution and production, and reconsider how “Official Ordered Oil” (goyōabura) was imposed, as well as its effects on the distribution of oil and oilseeds. From the Ansei period onwards, the dissolution of the merchant guilds had led to the market getting out of control, while the revival of the guilds had only a limited legal framework. Hence, the system of “Official Ordered Oil” (which was in fact oil to fulfill orders from oil wholesalers in Edo) was created to forcibly connect the Edo and Osaka markets. On the other hand, for transactions of oilseeds, the importance of oil producer guilds’ market control increased further, and because the term “Official Ordered Oil” was used in the transactions, this led to legal petitions.

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The author examines the relationship between various facilities such as Ōgōri, Ogōri, and Naniwa-no-Murotsumi on the south bank of the Naniwa Horie (Ōkawa River), and some palaces seen in historical documents, based on the research results of paleo-topographic reconstruction, ancient roads presumed to be on the ridges of the Uemachi Upland, and characteristic place names. As a result, the author mentions the possibility that palaces such as “Naniwa Sakimiya” and “Yamasakinomiya” were located on the south bank of the Naniwa Horie, and may have constituted the Ōgōrinomiya. Later, the author also presents the idea that the “Naniwanomiya” that Emperors Monmu and Gensho visited, and the “Naniwanomiya” from the reign of Emperor Konin to the Heian Period were also considered to be palaces of the successor to the Ōgōrinomiya. The author also examines the research history of the Yasoshima-matsuri and considers that the original Kunimi ritual was held in the Nara Period, and that the Naniwanomiya on the south bank of the Naniwa Horie　mentioned above also served as the venue for that ritual. Furthermore, it has become clear that, following the transfer of the capital to Naniwa after the Taika Reform, the easterly flat area at the northern end of the Uemachi Upland, where the former and latter Naniwa Palaces were built, and the area at the northwestern end of the southern bank of the Naniwa Horie　continually coexisted and shared functions, together forming the locus of power in Ancient Naniwa.

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Morihana Munetsugu was born in Sanda, Hyogo Prefecture to Morihana Kamon, the doctor of the Sanda vassal lord and an apprentice at Tekijuku. Munetsugu was educated not only at Ogata Ikuzo’s Dokushouken Juku but also studied under Kawamoto Koumin at his Sanda Eiran Juku, which is renowned for being the birthplace of modern Japanese chemistry. He served as a lecturer and Head of Pharmacology at Osaka Medical School Hospital (Osaka Prefectural Hospital) and Headmaster at Sakai Prefectural Medical School before going on to establish the first public hospitals in modern Osaka. He is also known for his work on infectious diseases such as smallpox and syphilis. In 1873, he became the first in Japan to introduce subcutaneous injections through the translation and publication of “A Summary of Subcutaneous Injections.” Beginning that same year and finishing in 1877, he also undertook the translation and publication of a massive tome on British and American medicine. He became well known as the foremost medical expert of his time, thanks largely to Kuki Takayoshi, a former vassal lord of Sanda, who established Shimasan Shokai, an import-export business dealing in pharmaceuticals and medical devices, in Sakaemachi, Kobe in 1873. Munetsugu was given the job of buying and inspecting items from abroad as well as dealing with foreign clients. His patron was also instrumental in supporting his studies.

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This paper examines the distribution of teahouses and restaurants based on the “Shopping Guidebook” in Osaka during the Edo Period. Teahouses and restaurants appeared in the late 17th century as Yusanjaya (遊山茶屋), which were divided into Yusanjaya and Shinchijaya (新地茶屋), while in the early 18th century, Irohachaya (いろは茶屋） were established in Horie (堀江), Dotonbori, and in the newly developed Shinchi (新地), Dotonbori. Thus, four types of teahouses came to be distributed in the suburbs surrounding the urban area. In addition, in previous studies, the distribution of restaurants was divided into urban areas and suburban areas; however, it is shown here that, in the latter half of the 18th century, restaurants could be divided into three categories by location: those in urban areas, outer urban areas, and suburban areas. In the 19th century, playhouses crowded Dotonbori, and restaurants that seemed to specialize in catering were established in the city. According to the records of officials from various places who were working in Osaka, preparation for a banquet consisted of the provision of the venue, the catering of food, the division of labor among the waiters in charge of serving the food, and the provision of geishas. The reason why there were so many restaurants in the city that seem to have specialized in catering in the 19th century is that as this division of labor progressed, banquets and sightseeing tours became popular in the city, meeting a wide range of demand.

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