Kajimaya

A wealthy merchant from Osaka during the Edo period.

(1) Kyuemon Kashimaya (Hirooka), Tamamizu-cho. According to family tradition, his ancestor was Minamoto Norihiro of the Akamatsu lineage, who gave up military life in the late 16th century and returned to farming in Kawabe County, Settsu (Osaka Prefecture). The first generation started a rice polishing and currency exchange business in Midomae, Osaka, during the Kan'ei era (1624-1644), and later worked as a rice wholesaler and currency exchanger in various provinces in Tamamizu-cho (Nishi-ku, Osaka City). In 1679 (Enpo 7), he is said to have been the representative storehouse owner of the Amagasaki domain. During the Kyoho era (1716-1736), he became the storehouse owner of the Daishoji domain, and was a rice merchant representing Hamakata. In 1731 (Kyoho 16), a proposal to the Osaka magistrate for a plan to raise rice prices led to the creation of a rice brokerage stock certificate system that limited brokerage of rice bidding at storehouses, and he was ordered to serve as a rice elder. However, after retiring, he started a wide range of business, and in 1770 (Meiwa 7), he was appointed as a caretaker of the Osaka storehouse in Hagi Domain. When his house was destroyed by the rise in rice prices during the Tenmei era (1781-89), his assets amounted to 27,000 kanme of silver, an accumulation that was comparable to that of Konoike. He paid the highest amount of money for the shogunate since the Horeki era (1751-64), and served as a daimyo loan to the Public Finance Association, an official agent for the Fukinaoshi gold and silver exchange, and a brewer for the Tsuwano, Nakatsu, Fukui, and Takasaki domains. He was a representative feudal lord merchant born in Dojima. He founded Kashima Bank in 1888 (Meiji 21). Shinshu Life Insurance, founded in 1894, merged with Daido Life Insurance in 1902 (Meiji 35).

(2) Sakubei Kashimaya (Nagata) of Okawa-machi. According to family tradition, his ancestor was a retainer of the Gohojo clan, then turned to business and became a rice broker, moving from Sakai to Kurusaka, Minami-Honmachi, and Kitahama during the Kanei period, and setting up a store in Tamamizu-cho during the Kyoho period. He also served as a brewer for the Higo Domain and a paper brewer for the Uwajima Domain, receiving the fourth-highest amount in the Horeki government subsidy, 15,000 ryo. After transferring its rice brokerage shares and moving to Okawa-cho around Tenmei, under the control of the Mito Loan Office, it lent large amounts of its own funds, as well as rice payment silver from Osaka, to various domains under the pretext of loans as official taxes and in the form of village loans, and served as a broker for the Aki Province paper brewery and a remittance service for the Sasayama and Obi domains. In 1856 (Ansei 3), the rice allowances for various domains reached 185 kanme of silver, and along with Konoike and Tamamizu-cho Kashimaya, it received the highest amount of silver for the Man'en period of 3,000 kanme. The branch families, Funamachi Sakugoro and Amagasakimachi Sakujiro, were merchants who lent money to daimyo, such as Hamakata Senno, who were listed as one of the five main exchange houses. During the Meiji Restoration, the company cooperated with the new government's finances and established a trading company, but in 1873 (Meiji 6) it was ordered to immediately pay back deposits made by the Ministry of the Army, which it was unable to do so and closed down.

[Masa Kawakami]

“Osaka Machinin” by Matatsugu Miyamoto (1957, Kobundo) ▽ “Daimyo Financial History Theory” by Yasuhiro Mori (1970, Ohara Shinseisha)

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

江戸時代、大坂の豪商。

(1)玉水町加島屋（広岡）久右衛門。家伝では、赤松系源則弘(のりひろ)を祖とし、16世紀後半、武を捨て、摂津（大阪府）川辺郡に帰農。寛永(かんえい)年間（1624～44）初代が大坂御堂前(みどうまえ)に精米・両替業を始め、のち玉水町（大阪市西区）で諸国米問屋・両替を兼業、1679年（延宝7）には尼崎(あまがさき)藩蔵屋敷名代であったといわれる。享保(きょうほう)（1716～36）には大聖寺(だいしょうじ)藩蔵元となり、浜方を代表する米商人であった。1731年（享保16）大坂町奉行(まちぶぎょう)への米価引き立て策答申により、蔵屋敷払米入札の仲買を限定した米仲買株札制度ができ、「米年寄」を命じられたが、退役して手広く営業、70年（明和7）萩(はぎ)藩大坂蔵屋敷留守居(るすい)格に任命された。天明(てんめい)（1781～89）の米価騰貴で家屋敷が打毀(うちこわし)にあったときの資産は銀2万7000貫目あり、鴻池(こうのいけ)に劣らない蓄積を遂げている。幕府御用金は宝暦(ほうれき)（1751～64）以来最高額を負担し、公金融通組合の大名貸、吹直し金銀引替の公用、津和野(つわの)、中津、福井、高崎諸藩の蔵元を勤めた。堂島(どうじま)が生んだ代表的大名貸商人である。1888年（明治21）加島銀行を創立。また94年創設の真宗生命保険は1902年（明治35）には合併により大同生命保険となった。

(2)大川町加島屋（長田）作兵衛。家伝では、後北条(ごほうじょう)氏家臣を始祖とし、商に転じ、寛永年間堺(さかい)より来坂、南本町、北浜から、享保年間には玉水町店を構える米仲買となり、肥後藩蔵元掛屋、宇和島藩紙方蔵元掛屋を勤め、宝暦御用金は第四位の1万5000両を受ける。米仲買株は譲渡して、天明ごろ大川町に移転後、水戸(みと)御貸付役所支配として、公儀上納金貸付名目と郷貸形式で大坂払米代銀のほか自己資金を大規模に諸藩に貸し付け、芸州御蔵紙蔵元掛屋、篠山(ささやま)・飫肥(おび)藩仕送り御用などを勤め、1856年（安政3）諸藩扶持(ふち)給米代は銀185貫目に達し、万延(まんえん)御用銀は鴻池、玉水町加島屋とともに最高額3000貫目を引き受ける。分家の船町作五郎と尼崎町作次郎は、本両替・入替両替五軒にあげられる浜方先納などの大名貸商人。維新に際し、新政府の財政に協力、また商社を設立したが、1873年（明治6）陸軍省預り金の即時上納を命ぜられて果たせず、閉店。

［川上　雅］

『宮本又次著『大阪町人』（1957・弘文堂）』▽『森泰博著『大名金融史論』（1970・大原新生社）』

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