Holding something high - Holding something high

…This refers to the amount of rice produced by a peasant farmer (a person who was a peasant farmer) during the Edo period. It was also called Hodaka. Peasants were required to pay taxes and other duties to the feudal lord according to the amount of rice produced. Those with larger amounts of rice produced had a larger voice in the village, and the amount of rice produced determined the social status of peasants. …

*Some of the terminology explanations that mention "hotaka" are listed below.

Source | Heibonsha World Encyclopedia 2nd Edition | Information

…江戸時代の高請農民(高持)が所有する石高の量のことで，抱高ともいった。農民は持高に応じて領主に対する年貢，諸役を負担させられたので，持高の多い者は村内における発言力も大きく，持高の多寡によって農民の社会的地位がほぼ決まった。…

※「抱高」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