Barn crew - Nayashyu

From the end of the Middle Ages to the beginning of the early modern period, wealthy merchants in Sakai built warehouses called "naya" on the beach to store seafood and other products, and made a profit by renting them out. They were also called "naya-kashu". According to "Itoranki", the "leaders" among them were called "Jubun-shu" (ten people), and were said to have handled town affairs such as public lawsuits, and all of them were called "naya" in addition to their real names. These ten naya-kashu are thought to have been the "Ego-shu" (assembly group) that played a leading role in the self-government and management of the city. Sen no Rikyu, a famous tea master, was known as Naya Yoshiro as a child, and Imai Sokyu, a wealthy merchant from Sakai who was the son-in-law of Takeno Jōō and served as the tea master for Oda Nobunaga and Toyotomi Hideyoshi, was also known as Naya Sokyu; all of them were descended from the Naya group.

[Yasuo Kobayashi]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

中世末から近世初頭にかけて、海浜に納屋とよばれる海産物などを保管する倉庫を設け、これを貸し付けて利潤を得ていた堺(さかい)の富裕な商人。納屋貸衆ともよばれる。『糸乱記(しらんき)』によれば、それらのなかでも「頭(かし)ら分」にあたる人々を十人衆と号して、公事(くじ)訴訟などの町政を取り仕切ったとされ、また、その本名とは別にすべて納屋と名のったという。この納屋貸十人衆が、都市の自治運営にあたって指導的役割を果たしたとされる会合(えごう)衆と考えられている。茶人として著名な千利休(せんのりきゅう)は幼名を納屋与四郎とよばれ、また、武野紹鴎(たけのじょうおう)の女婿(じょせい)で、織田信長や豊臣(とよとみ)秀吉の茶頭(さどう)を勤めた堺の豪商今井宗久(そうきゅう)は納屋宗久ともよばれ、いずれも納屋衆の出である。

［小林保夫］

出典　小学館　日本大百科全書(ニッポニカ)日本大百科全書(ニッポニカ)について　情報 | 凡例