Monthly loan money - Gesshakusen

Japanese: 月借銭 - げっしゃくせん

A type of usury practiced by central government offices in the 8th and 9th centuries, in which coins were lent. Lending coins was called suikyosen, and monkishakisen was a type of this, in which each government office lent coins to officials on a monthly basis and charged 1.3 to 1.5 percent interest. Although they were central government officials, lower-ranking officials, unlike aristocrats of the fifth rank or higher and officials who received seasonal stipends, had no income in Kyoto other than the food provided to them monthly and occasional stipends, so they naturally lived in poverty and often resorted to monkishaki.

Source: Heibonsha World Encyclopedia, 2nd Edition Information

Japanese:

8～9世紀に中央の官司で行われていた銭貨を貸し付けて行う高利貸の一種。銭を貸し付けるのは出挙（すいこ）銭とよばれていたが，月借銭はその一種で，各官司が月単位に銭を官人に貸し付け1.3～1.5割の利子をとることになっていた。中央の官人といっても下級官人は五位以上の貴族や季禄を支給される職事官とちがい，京での収入は月々あたえられる食料と臨時に支給される禄以外にはなかったから，いきおい生活は苦しく，このような月借銭にしばしば手をそめたらしい。

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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