Rice seat - Komeza

A rice sales guild in the Middle Ages. Also called a rice shop guild. They can be found in Nara, Kyoto, Yawata, Totomi Mitsuke, and other places. In Kyoto, from the Northern and Southern Courts to the Muromachi period, rice merchants attached to various powerful families joined forces to manipulate the price of rice. In 1438 (Eikyo 10), the Oi-ryo imposed a rice seller tax on them, and the story goes that all of the 120 rice sellers of the Shifu Kayocho guild, negotiated the price down to 20 kanmon. They became the foundation, absorbing others, and in Sanjo and Shichijo, the Upper and Lower Rice Shop guilds, which were combined by occupation, were established. They first appeared in 1539 (Tenbun 8), when they were exempt from taxes except for official business within the Imperial Court, established the guild law, and exercised a monopoly on rice sales in the capital. Later, the Shoshidai (deputy governor), Maeda Gen'i, also officially recognized the practice, but it was abolished during the Tensho era (1573-1592), possibly due to Toyotomi Hideyoshi's Rakuza-rei (law to prohibit the practice of playing at festivals).

[Haruko Wakita]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

中世における米販売の座。米屋座ともいう。奈良、京都、八幡(やわた)、遠江(とおとうみ)見付(みつけ)などにみられる。京都では南北朝～室町期に、諸権門付属の米商人が結合して米価を操作した。1438年（永享10）大炊寮(おおいりょう)がこれらに米屋課役をかけたところ、120人に達していた四府駕輿丁(しふかよちょう)座の米売り全員で20貫文に値切った話は有名。彼らが母胎となり、他を吸収して、三条と七条に、職種別結合の上・下米屋座が成立した。初見は1539年（天文8）で、禁裏(きんり)公用以外は課役が免除され、座中法度を定め、洛中(らくちゅう)に専売権を行使した。のち所司代前田玄以(げんい)もそれを公認しているが、豊臣(とよとみ)秀吉の楽座令によるものか、天正(てんしょう)年間（1573～92）に廃絶された。

［脇田晴子］

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