Osaka Copper Blown Companies

…In response to this, the copper mines began to show signs of decline, so in 1701, the shogunate established a copper mining facility in Osaka as a silver mining facility to secure copper for export, and attempted to monopolise copper production. However, as the amount of copper produced in Osaka decreased, the copper mining facility was abolished in 1712 (Shotoku 2), and the copper mining facility was contracted out to 17 coppersmiths in Osaka for the production of 5 million kin of copper for the Nagasaki Imperial Government. Copper production further declined, and it became impossible to secure the 4.5 million jin export copper quota (1715) set by the Kaihakugoshi Shinrei (1.5 million jin from the Netherlands and 3 million jin from China), so in 1738 (Genbun 3), the shogunate re-established the Osaka copper mine, gave the Osaka copper mine the exclusive right to purchase all copper produced, decided the division of copper between local sales and copper exports to Nagasaki according to the amount of copper produced, each mine was to report its annual copper production plan for the following year to the copper mine, and gave the Osaka copper mining association the monopoly on silver metallurgy (Nanban copper pressing).

*The following is a partial explanation of the term "Osaka Copper Firm Association."

Source | Heibonsha World Encyclopedia 2nd Edition | Information

…これにたいし銅山は衰退の兆しを示しはじめたので，1701年，幕府は輸出銅確保のために，銀座加役として大坂に銅座を設け，産銅の独占をはかった。しかし大坂登銅が減少したため12年(正徳2)銅座を廃止，長崎御用銅500万斤として大坂銅吹屋仲間17人に請け負わせることとした。さらに銅産は減少し，海舶互市新例（かいはくごししんれい）(1715)の輸出銅定高450万斤(うちオランダ150万斤，中国300万斤)も確保できなくなったため，幕府は1738年(元文3)大坂に銅座を再興し，いっさいの産銅を大坂銅座が独占購入すること，地売銅と長崎輸出銅とのふりわけは出銅高に応じて銅座が決定すること，各鉱山は翌年の年間産銅計画を毎年銅座に申告すること，銅からの絞銀冶金(南蛮絞り)は大坂銅吹屋仲間の独占とすること，などを定めた。…

※「大坂銅吹屋仲間」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