Green Seedlings Method - Seibyoho

This was one of the new laws enacted by Wang Anshi (1021-86), a politician of the Northern Song Dynasty in China. The Northern Song government had stored grain in the Changping and Guanghui granaries to prepare for disasters and famines, but poor management resulted in a large amount of unspent stock. Wang Anshi released this stock, converted it into cash, and advanced it to small farmers who often suffered from food and seed shortages during the lean seasons, with an annual interest rate of 20% and required them to repay in grain or cash. The landlord class, who had previously advanced loans at a high interest rate of 100%, fiercely opposed this, but Wang Anshi staked the success of the entire new law on it, and promoted it, making considerable net profits and contributing to financial reconstruction.

[Shima Kazuyasu]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

中国、北宋(ほくそう)の政治家王安石（1021―86）の新法の一つ。北宋政府は常平倉、広恵倉に穀物を蓄え、災害や飢饉(ききん)に備えていたが、管理の不備から滞貨が多かった。王安石はこれを放出して現金化し、端境期に食糧や種もみの不足しがちな小農民に前貸しし、年利息2割で、穀物または現金で返済させた。従来10割の高利で前貸しを行っていた地主層はこれに猛反対したが、王安石は新法全体の成否をかけて推進し、相当の純益をあげて財政再建に寄与した。

［島居一康］

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