Kaisen (cargo ship)

Japanese: 廻船(回船) - かいせん

It is a term that has been used since the Middle Ages, probably meaning a ship that travels around the country or moves around the country, and it seems to refer to transport ships excluding fishing boats that were relatively inactive at the time, and in particular to merchant ships loaded with goods. The first mention of kaisen dates back to 1206 (Ken'ei 1) in the early Kamakura period, when it is said that merchants would occasionally arrive at Takaishi Masariura, Otorigo, Izumi, and in this case, kaisen refers to merchant ships that were closely related to merchants. Furthermore, in 1340 (Kokoku 1/Ryakuo 3), Ashikaga Takauji levied a customs duty of 100 mon per oar from transport ships and cargo ships to the western provinces in Hyogo as a military food fee, and this kaisen is also interpreted as a merchant ship in relation to transport ships.

Source: Heibonsha World Encyclopedia, 2nd Edition Information

Japanese:

中世以降見られる用語で，おそらく各地を回遊する船，各地を移動する船などの意味で，当時比較的動きの少ない漁船等を除く輸送船をさし，とくに商品を積んだ商船を意味する場合が多いようである。廻船の初見は今のところ，鎌倉初期の1206年(建永1)で，当時和泉大鳥郷高石正里浦にまれに廻船の商人が来着するとあり，この場合の廻船は，商人と関係深い商船を指している。さらに1340年(興国1∥暦応3)，足利尊氏は，兵粮料足として，西国運送船ならびに廻船より櫓別100文ずつの関税を兵庫において徴しているが，この廻船もまた運送船に対する商船と解される。

出典　株式会社平凡社世界大百科事典第２版について　情報

<<: Sea battle

>>: Battle