Stored rice - Kuramai

During the Edo period, rice tax was stored in warehouses under the direct control of the shogunate and various feudal domains. The shogunate's rice tax was first deposited in rice storehouses at local magistrates' offices, then accumulated in large storehouses in Edo and Osaka, and sold according to financial needs. In the case of various feudal domains, it was also transported to rice storehouses within castles or storehouses in Osaka and Edo. A portion of the stored rice was paid as a stipend to vassals, and was called "kuramai chigyo" or "kuramae watasu" in contrast to "jikatachigyo" or "jikatachigyo" (local fief) and "jikatachigyo" (local delivery), and the samurai who received the rice were called "kuramai chigyo" or "kuramaitori". Stored rice sold on the market from the storehouses was generally sold through auctions by rice wholesalers, and the document that the successful bidder received from the storehouse official was called "kuramai stamp", and was itself used as a highly reliable security.

[Susumu Kitahara]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

江戸時代、幕府・諸藩が直轄の倉庫に収納した年貢米。幕府の年貢米は各地の代官所の米倉にいったん納められたのち、江戸・大坂などの大規模な蔵に集積され、財政上の必要に応じ売却された。諸藩の場合も城内の米倉や大坂・江戸の蔵屋敷に運ばれた。蔵米の一部は家臣団への俸禄(ほうろく)として支給されたが、地方知行(じかたちぎょう)・地方渡しに対して蔵米知行・蔵前渡しと称し、受給する武士を蔵米知行・蔵米取といった。また蔵屋敷から市中に販売される蔵米は、一般に米問屋の入札によって払い下げられたが、落札者が蔵役人より受け取る証文を蔵米切手といい、信用の厚い有価証券としてそれ自体通用した。

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