Rice bale

These were made by weaving small bundles of straw with thin rope on a bale weaving stand, and included rice bales, seed rice bales, salt bales, seafood bales, charcoal bales, ash bales, etc. They were mainly used as containers for transportation, and played a major role in the distribution of goods, but they were also used for storage and preservation. Rice bales were the most common, and the Engishiki (927) already states that "For both public and private transport, five to of rice constitutes a bale, and for the same amount, three bales are considered waste. Any miscellaneous items are also counted at the same rate. For those traveling far from the country, the amount is reduced." It seems that the capacity was also set. In the picture scroll Shigisan Engi (late Heian period), the ties at both ends of the bales are unclear, but the main body is depicted in a way that is not very different from the rice bales that were used until recently. The straw bale in the picture scroll "Kokawadera Engi" (early Kamakura period) shows a slatted straw bale. The appearance of slatted straw bales was a major improvement in straw bale packing, and there were various ways of weaving and attaching them. The capacity of rice bales varied between provinces and territories in the Edo period, but due to the rice tax collection system, it was generally standardized to between two to (one to is about 18 liters) and five to in each region. Nationwide standardization came after the end of the Meiji period with the rice production improvement policy, and each prefectural ordinance for rice control set one straw bale at four to, which applied throughout the country. This prefectural ordinance also determined the specifications of the straw bale. In the case of wheat, one straw bale was often five to for barley and four to for wheat. The capacity of salt bales and charcoal bales also differed from region to region depending on the distribution route, etc.

[Naoyuki Ogawa]

"Prefectural Orders Concerning Rice Cultivation, 1904," compiled and published by the Ministry of Agriculture and Commerce (included in the revised edition of "Japanese Agricultural Development History 4," compiled by the Agricultural Development History Research Committee, 1978, Chuokoron-Shinsha)

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

俵編み台を使い、藁(わら)の小束を細縄で編んでつくったもので、米俵、種籾(たねもみ)俵、塩俵、海産物の俵（俵物）、炭俵、灰俵などがある。おもに運搬のための容器として使われ、物資流通上の役割は大きかったが、貯蔵、保存にも用いられた。米俵がもっとも一般的で、これはすでに『延喜式(えんぎしき)』（927）には「凡公私運米、五斗為俵、仍用三俵為駄、自余雑物、亦准之。其遠路国者、斟量減之」（凡(およそ)公私の運米(うんまい)五斗を俵と為す、よって三俵をもって駄(だ)と為す、自余(じよ)の雑物またこれに准ず。其(それ)遠路の国は斟量(しんりょう)これを減ず）とあり、容量も定められていたようである。当時の俵は、絵巻『信貴山(しぎさん)縁起』（平安時代後期）では、両端の口の結束が不明確だが、本体部は最近まで使われていた米俵と大差なく描かれている。絵巻『粉河寺(こかわでら)縁起』（鎌倉時代初期）にある俵には桟俵(さんだわら)がみえている。桟俵の出現は俵装の大きな改良であり、これの編み方や当て方はいろいろあった。米俵の容量は、江戸時代には国・領で差違があるが、年貢徴米制度との関係で、おおむね地方ごとに二斗（一斗は約18リットル）から五斗くらいの間で統一されていた。全国的な統一は明治時代末以降の産米改良政策によってであり、米穀取締りの各府県令で一俵が四斗と定められ、これが全国に及んだ。この府県令では俵の仕様まで決めている。麦の場合の一俵は、大麦は五斗、小麦は四斗とする例が多い。また、塩俵、炭俵の容量についても流通経路などによって地方ごとに異同があった。

［小川直之］

『農商務省編・刊『米作ニ関スル府縣令　1904年』（農業発達史調査会編『日本農業発達史4』改訂版・所収・1978・中央公論社）』

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