Encouragement of Agriculture - Kannou

This refers to the policy of encouraging agricultural production implemented by the ruling class from ancient times to the early modern period. In ancient times and the early modern period, agricultural promotion was implemented by public authorities, but in the Middle Ages, it was implemented as an individual territorial rule, with manors and kokuga lands (go and ho) as units. In the case of medieval manors, the specific procedure was as follows: A messenger from the manor lord (honke or ryoke) living in Kyoto or Nara would travel to the local manor in early February of the lunar calendar, and together with the local manor official (jito, geshi, kumon, etc.), they would check the progress of agricultural production, predict the weather, certify the status and costs of irrigation canal construction work, distribute the cultivated land of farmers who had fled to other farmers (scattered fields), lend seed rice and labor costs to individual farmers, and calculate the estimated tax revenue for the entire manor. This was active involvement by the feudal lord in the spring plowing process, and the peasants depended on this kind of agricultural promotion to carry out their agriculture (rice cultivation). In the kokugaryo (provincial government territories), the gunji (gunji), goji (goji), and hoji (hoji) promoted agriculture together with the jito (land steward). Agricultural promotion was the basis of medieval territorial control.

[Takashi Yamamoto]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

古代から近世にかけて、支配階級が行った農業生産の奨励政策をいう。古代や近世では公権力が勧農を行ったが、中世にあっては荘園(しょうえん)や国衙(こくが)領（郷(ごう)、保(ほ)）を単位にして、個別の領地支配として行われた。中世の荘園の場合、具体的には次のようになる。京都や奈良に住む荘園領主（本家(ほんけ)、領家(りょうけ)）から使者が旧暦2月上旬に現地の荘園に下向し、そこで現地の荘官（地頭(じとう)、下司(げし)、公文(くもん)など）とともに、農業生産の進行状況を確認しつつ、気候を占い、用水路整備作業のようすやその費用の認定をし、逃死亡農民の耕地を他の農民に配分し（散田(さんでん)）、種籾(たねもみ)、労働費用を個々の農民に貸与し、荘園全体の税収入の予定額を算出する。これは、領主側による春の耕耘うん過程への積極的関与であり、農民側はこのような勧農に依存して農業（稲作）を遂行していた。国衙領においては、郡司(ぐんじ)、郷司(ごうじ)、保司(ほうじ)が地頭とともに勧農を行っていた。勧農は、中世の領地支配の根本である。

［山本隆志］

出典　小学館　日本大百科全書(ニッポニカ)日本大百科全書(ニッポニカ)について　情報 | 凡例