Cotton wholesaler - Kuriwatadoiya

Japanese: 繰綿問屋 - くりわたどいや

A wholesale merchant who dealt in ginned cotton (unrefined cotton made by removing the seeds from seed cotton, used to make cotton fabrics and futons), which was distributed nationwide during the Edo period. As the main production area for ginned cotton was in the Kinai region, cotton merchants appeared in Osaka from early on. During the Kan'ei era (1624-44), a cotton market was opened in Kyobashi 1-chome, where seed and ginned cotton from the Kinai region and Omi were traded, but merchants involved in the buying and selling of cotton began to split into wholesalers, middlemen, and retailers, and the Cotton Market Wholesalers Association was formed during the Shoho era (1644-48).

Source: Heibonsha World Encyclopedia, 2nd Edition Information

Japanese:

江戸時代に全国的な商品として流通した繰綿(実綿から種子を除いた未精製の綿で，木綿織物や布団綿の原料)を扱った問屋商人。繰綿の主要産地が畿内であったため，大坂には早くから綿商人が発生していた。寛永年間(1624‐44)に京橋一丁目で綿の市場が開かれ，畿内や近江産の実綿･繰綿の取引が行われたが，綿売買に関係する商人が問屋･仲買･小売に分化するようになり，正保年間(1644‐48)に綿市問屋仲間が成立した。

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

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