Commercial Chigyo System - Akinai Bachigyosei

Japanese: 商場知行制 - あきないばちぎょうせい

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[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 [Location Contract]

... In the early modern period, the Matsumae clan directly controlled the Wajin territories in the southern part of the Oshima Peninsula, and divided the rest of the coastal area of Hokkaido into territories called "basho" corresponding to the territories controlled by each Ainu tribe, and distributed the exclusive right to trade with the Ainu in the basho as a fief to its higher-ranking vassals. This is considered to be a trading ground (aki-nai-ba) chigyo system in which the Matsumae clan itself distributed the exclusive right to trade in Ezochi, which it had been given by the Edo Shogunate, to its vassals. These vassals who held the basho dispatched trading ships to the basho every year, and sold the special products they obtained from the Ainu (dried salmon, dried herring, fried sea cucumber, kelp, bear skin, etc.) in Esashi, Matsumae (Fukuyama), and Hakodate to make money, and the Matsumae clan also used the import and export tax (Okinokuchi tax) imposed on merchant ships (Kitamae ships) that entered the three ports as a source of revenue. ...

*Some of the terminology used in reference to the "business domain chigyo system" is listed below.

Source | Heibonsha World Encyclopedia 2nd Edition | Information

Japanese:

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［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。…

【場所請負】より

…　近世初頭，松前藩は渡島（おしま）半島南部の和人地を直轄するとともに，それ以外の北海道の海岸部を，アイヌの各部族の支配領域に対応させて〈場所〉という領域に区分し，場所のアイヌとの交易独占権を上級家臣に知行として分与した。これは松前藩自体が江戸幕府から与えられた蝦夷地交易独占権を，家臣に分与した商場（あきないば）知行制とみられる。こうした場所持の家臣は毎年場所に交易船を派遣し，アイヌより得た特産物(干しザケ，干しニシン，煎海鼠（いりこ），コンブ，熊の皮など)を江差，松前(福山)，箱館で換金して収入源とし，松前藩は3港に入港する商船(北前船)に移出入税(沖ノ口口銭)を課して財源とした。…

※「商場知行制」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

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