Sengoku ship

Originally it referred to a ship that could carry 1000 koku of rice, but in the Edo period it came to refer to cargo ships of the 1000 koku class, especially large merchant ships. Formally known as bezai-sen (benzai-bune) or bezai-zukuri, this type of Japanese ship developed in the Seto Inland Sea in the second half of the 17th century and is characterized by sailing with a single mast and a large square sail. It was fundamentally different from the Japanese ships of ancient and medieval times, which were primarily rowed with oars and sailing was only a secondary means. A 1000 koku ship had 25 tan of sails and a crew of 15, while a 1600 koku ship would normally have 30 tan and 20 crew members. Economic development during the Edo period was largely due to the activities of these Sengoku ships, typical of which were the Higaki Kaisen and Taru Kaisen ships that frequently plied between Edo and Osaka, and the Kitamae Bune ships that were active connecting Hokkaido with the Seto Inland Sea and Osaka from the late Edo period through to the Meiji period. Particularly in the late Edo period, sailing techniques in crosswinds and against winds improved, and sailing speeds increased, while ship hulls grew in size from an average of 500 koku in the early period to 1,800 koku in the later period, significantly expanding the distribution of goods.

[Yuzuki Manabu]

“Fune” edited by Toshikazu Sudo (1968, Hosei University Press)

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

もとは米1000石を積む船のことをいったが、江戸時代になると、1000石積み級の荷船をさし、とくに大型の廻船(かいせん)の呼称となった。正式には弁才船(べざいせん／べんざいぶね)とかベザイ造りとよばれ、17世紀後半に瀬戸内海で発達してきた和船で、1本の帆柱と大きな横帆をあげて帆走するのが特色。古代・中世の和船が、櫓(ろ)で漕(こ)ぐのを主とし、帆走は補助的手段であったのに対し、根本的に異なっていた。1000石積み船で帆反数が25反、乗組員15人で、これが1600石積み船では30反、20人が普通であった。江戸時代の経済の発展は、この千石船の活動によるところ大で、江戸―大坂間を頻繁に往復していた菱垣(ひがき)廻船や樽(たる)廻船、また江戸後期から明治時代にかけて北海道と瀬戸内・大坂を結んで活躍した北前船(きたまえぶね)などは、その典型的なものであった。とくに江戸後期には横風や逆風時の帆走技術も上達して、航海速力もスピードアップしていく一方、船体も前期の平均500石積みから後期には1800石積みにまで大型化し、商品流通を著しく拡大していった。

［柚木　学］

『須藤利一編著『船』（1968・法政大学出版局）』

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