Ainu Trade - Ainu Station

Japanese: アイヌ交易 - あいぬこうえき

…
[Ezo Development]
The development of Ezochi in the early modern period was carried out in three stages: (1) the period from the early modern period to 1798, when Ezochi was under the control of the Matsumae Domain; (2) the period from 1799 to 1854 (Kansei 11 to Ansei 1), when Ezochi was under direct control of the shogunate and restored to the Matsumae Domain; and (3) the period from 1855 to the end of the Edo period, when Ezochi was under direct control of the shogunate again. The first stage was characterized by its development centered on Ainu trade and fishing management within the trading grounds of the feudal lord and his fief holders, leveraging the Matsumae Domain's trading ground (aki-naiba) chigyo system. The Matsumae clan's daimyo chigyo rights did not include control over land backed by rice yields like those of other clans, but rather contained the unique right to trade in Ezo. As a result, Ezo and Wajin territories were strictly separated, Ezo was made the exclusive trading ground of the feudal ruling class, and trading posts directly managed by the clan lord were established in Ezo. High-ranking vassals were also given the right to trade with the Ainu in certain areas (trading posts) of Ezo as part of their fiefs.

From [Ezo Trade]

...However, the Uimamu gradually changed into a ritual that was a purely political expression of the relationship of ruler and ruled, namely an audience with the feudal lord, and the main focus of trade became the trading posts in Ezo. Trade at the trading post took place once or twice a year in rope-tied ships of around 300 koku each, with goods being traded for sake, rice, koji, tobacco, salt, pots, knives, needles, used clothing, bolts of cloth, thread, lacquerware, kiseru, and other Ainu products such as bearskins, deerskins, sea otter skins, and sealskins, dried fish such as bear bile, eagle feathers, dried salmon, shellfish, anchovies, kelp, and dried cod, and medicines such as fur seals and ebori. However, as the management of the trading post changed from Ainu trade to fishing management by site contractors from the end of the 17th century, the importance of trade gradually decreased, and the main products of Ezo became seafood such as herring, salmon, trout, and Nagasaki bales of goods (dried abalone, anchovies, and kelp) for export to China. As a result, the Ainu were reduced from trading partners to laborers in fishing grounds, and Ezo itself came to assume the character of a large-scale fishing production center and migrant labor area in the feudal domain society.

From [Matsumae Domain]

...Because the Matsumae clan had no stipend, it was difficult to indicate the family rank or kokudaka. In 1634 (Kan'ei 11), the second feudal lord, Kimihiro, accompanied Shogun Iemitsu to Kyoto with a stipend of 10,000 koku, but at first he was treated as a "kotai-yoriai" (alternative yoriai), and it was not until 1719 (Kyoho 4) that he was officially granted a stipend of 10,000 koku. The finances of the domain also initially depended on the profits from Ainu trade, hawks, gold dust, and other specialty products, but after the end of the 17th century, there was a decline in gold dust and hawks, a slump in Ainu trade, and instead, the development of herring, salmon, and kelp fishing in Matsumae Ezo, the development of contract management by merchants at the trading post, an increase in the migrant population, and the development of commodity distribution with various ports on Honshu. As a result, from the mid-18th century onwards, the main source of profit came from the tax revenues of the place contractor and the Okinokuchi various duties and commissions. Also, from around this time, Matsumae Ezo began to play a major role in the economy under the feudal domain system as a producer of Nagasaki straw bags of produce, including herring, salmon, kelp, as well as dried anchovies and abalone.

*Some of the terminology that refers to "Ainu trade" is listed below.

Source | Heibonsha World Encyclopedia 2nd Edition | Information

Japanese:

…
［蝦夷地開発］
　近世における蝦夷地開発は，おおむね(1)近世初期～1798年，松前藩による蝦夷地支配の時期，(2)1799‐1854年(寛政11‐安政1)，幕府直轄および松前藩復領期，(3)1855年～幕末，幕府再直轄期，の3段階を経て行われた。第1段階の時期は，松前藩の商場（あきないば）知行制をてこに藩主･知行主の商場内でのアイヌ交易ないしは漁場経営を軸に展開したところに大きな特徴がある。松前藩は，その大名知行権の中身が他藩のように石高に裏づけされた土地の支配権ではなく，蝦夷地交易の独占権という特殊な性格から，蝦夷地と和人地を厳密に区分し，蝦夷地を封建支配者層の独占的交易の場としたうえで，蝦夷地内に藩主の直営商場を設け，上級家臣にも知行として蝦夷地の一定地域(商場)でアイヌと交易する権利を与えた。…

【蝦夷地交易】より

…しかし，ウイマムはしだいに領主への謁見というすぐれて政治的な支配･被支配関係を表す儀式へと変質し，交易の主体は蝦夷地の商場を中心としたものとなった。商場での交易は，年1～2回300石内外の縄綴船（なわとじぶね）で現地に向かい，酒･米･こうじ･タバコ･塩･なべ･小刀･針･古着･反物･糸･漆器･きせるなどとアイヌの生産品である熊皮･鹿皮･ラッコ皮･アザラシ皮などの獣皮，熊の胆（い）･鷲羽･干しザケ･串貝･いりこ･コンブ･干しダラなどの干物，オットセイ･エブリコなどの薬物などと交換したが，17世紀末以降商場の経営がアイヌ交易から場所請負人による漁業経営へと変質するにつれ，交易の比重はしだいに低下し，蝦夷地産物の主要なものは，ニシン，サケ，マスや中国向け輸出品としての長崎俵物(干しアワビ，いりこ，コンブ)などの海産物へと変化していった。それに伴いアイヌは交易相手から漁場の労務者へ転落させられるとともに，蝦夷地それ自体が幕藩制社会における大規模な漁業生産地，出稼労働地という性格を濃厚にしていった。…

【松前藩】より

…松前氏は無高となったため，家格も石高表示がむずかしく，1634年(寛永11)2代藩主公広が1万石の人積りをもって将軍家光の上洛供奉をつとめているものの，当初は交代寄合として遇され，1719年(享保4)に初めて正式に1万石格となった。藩財政も当初はアイヌ交易はじめ鷹，砂金などの特産物収益に依存していたが，17世紀末以降，砂金と鷹の減少，アイヌ交易の不振，かわって松前蝦夷地でのニシン，サケ，コンブ漁の発展，商場の商人による請負経営の発達，移住人口の増加と本州諸港との商品流通の発展という諸現象をみるなかで，18世紀半ば以降は場所請負人の運上金や沖ノ口諸役口銭の収益が主軸を占めるようになった。またこのころから松前蝦夷地は，ニシン，サケ，コンブをはじめ，いりこ，干しアワビなどの長崎俵物（たわらもの）の産地として，幕藩制下の経済に大きな役割を果たすようになった。…

※「アイヌ交易」について言及している用語解説の一部を掲載しています。

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

<<: Ainu Language Class - Ainu Language Class

>>: Ainu-English-Japanese Dictionary