Home industry - Kanai Kougyou

Despite mass production aimed at the market, this is a business structure in which the production process is small-scale and goods are made in the homes of many producers. In many cases, it is technically similar to handicrafts, but while independent craftsmen produce directly for the market, cottage industries produce on behalf of outside entrepreneurs, so their relationship with the market is indirect. Companies with capital and sales power in the market have small, scattered producers in individual homes produce products in a unified manner and sell them in the market. For this reason, producers in cottage industries are in a subordinate relationship to entrepreneurs. There are cases where the entrepreneur directly commissions work, and cases where an intermediary acts between the producer and the cottage industry. There are two cases: the intermediary is simply a spokesperson for the entrepreneur, or the intermediary is an agent for the producer, bearing the risk and aiming for profits. When the subordination of producers becomes severe in these complex relationships, it is called the "Kukan system." When the entrepreneur advances raw materials and production tools and buys the products at a lower price, it becomes a wholesale cottage industry. It was a transitional corporate form that existed between the handicraft industries of the Middle Ages or pre-modern times and the machine-made industries of modern times. While it has declined in modern times, cottage industries have played a certain role in both periods of industrial stagnation and prosperity. This is due to the strong traditions of the region, which make it difficult to concentrate on large-scale industry, and the existence of labor-intensive industries. Cottage industries have remained strong in textile processing industries that require handwork such as embroidery, miscellaneous goods, and assembly industries such as toys and watches.

Home workers may be those whose main occupation is the head of the household, who works full-time to support the family, family members who do homework, or the head of the household who has a second job. As a latecomer to capitalism, Japan has labor-intensive industries, and home industries have remained thriving even after World War II. In 1965 (Showa 40), 96% of home workers were employed in light industry. Additionally, 14% were full-time, 80% were home workers, and 6% were part-time workers. Looking at the breakdown by gender, just under 10% were men and just over 90% were women, showing that homework by women in the family is what supports Japan's light industry.

[Makoto Terao]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

市場目当ての大量生産にもかかわらず、生産工程が小規模で、多くの生産者の住宅内で商品がつくられる企業体制。技術的には手工業と通じる場合が多いが、独立手工業者が自ら直接に市場を相手に生産するのに対して、家内工業者は、外部の企業家に委託されて生産するから、市場との関係は間接的である。資本力をもち、市場での販売力をもつ企業が、零細な分散した家ごとの生産者に製品を統一的につくらせ、市場で販売する。このため、家内工業の生産者は企業家に対し従属した関係にある。なお企業家が自ら直接に仕事を委託する場合と、仲介人が生産者との間にたつ場合とがある。仲介人は企業家の単なる代弁人であるか、自らも生産者への委託人として危険を負担して利益をねらうという二つの場合がありうる。これらの複雑な関係において生産者の従属が厳しくなると苦汗(くかん)制度とよばれる。なお、企業家が原料や生産用具を前貸しし、製品の価格を買いたたくときには、問屋制家内工業となる。それは、中世または前近代の手工業と近代の機械制工業の中間に存在した過渡期の企業形態であった。近代になって衰退した面がある一方、産業の停滞期、繁栄期のいずれにも、家内工業が一定の役割を担ってきた。大工業への集中がむずかしい伝統の強い地域性や、労働集約的な産業の存在のためである。刺しゅうなど手仕事の必要な繊維加工業や雑貨品、玩具(がんぐ)や時計などの組立て工業では、家内工業が根強く残存してきた。

　なお家内労働者には、世帯主が生計維持の専業とする者、世帯主以外の家族の内職者、世帯主の副業がありうる。わが国は後発資本主義国として労働集約的産業があり、家内工業が第二次世界大戦後も盛んである。1965年（昭和40）に家内労働者の96％が軽工業に従事していた。また、専業者14％、内職者80％、副業者6％であった。男女別でみると、男子が1割弱、女子が9割強であり、家族内の女子の内職が日本の軽工業を支えていることがわかる。

［寺尾　誠］

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