Sankuro Mitani

Japanese: 三谷三九郎 - みたに・さんくろう

The names of wealthy merchants from the Edo period. Apparently they started out as cotton merchants, but by 1657 they were already a leading financial institution, rivalling Osaka's Konoike, as a main exchange. From the mid-Edo period onwards, they provided loans to feudal domains in the Tohoku region, such as Yonezawa, Akita, and Aizu, and were also contracted to sell the specialty products of these domains exclusively in Edo, and developed through their deep involvement in the domain's finances. The depth of their ties can be seen from the fact that the Yonezawa domain gave Sankuro a stipend of 700 koku, making him one of 13 families in the family. During the shogunate's Kansei Reforms, he played an active role as head of 10 purveyors to the accounting office, appointed in 1788 (Tenmei 8) (some the following year). In the Meiji era, he worked for the Ministry of the Army, among other things. He failed in speculation and went bankrupt in 1875 (Meiji 8). <References> Makoto Takeuchi, "The Kansei Reforms and the Establishment of the Accounting Office's Suppliers" (Nihon Rekishi, No. 129)

(Makoto Takeuchi)

Source: Asahi Japanese Historical Biography: Asahi Shimbun Publications Inc. About Asahi Japanese Historical Biography

Japanese:

江戸時代の豪商の歴代名。初めは木綿商いなどをしていたらしいが,明暦3(1657)年以前にはすでに本両替として大坂の鴻池と並び称される金融界の一方の雄であった。江戸時代中期以降,米沢,秋田,会津など東北諸藩への大名貸を行い,またこれら諸藩の特産物の江戸での独占販売を請け負うなど藩財政に深くかかわって発展。米沢藩で,三九郎に家中13家の中に入る700石の扶持を与えていることなどからも,関係の深さがうかがい知れる。幕府の寛政改革に際しても,天明8(1788)年(一部は翌年)任命された勘定所御用達10人の頭取として活躍。明治に入って陸軍省の仕事などをする。投機に失敗,明治8(1875)年破産した。<参考文献>竹内誠「寛政改革と勘定所御用達の成立」下(『日本歴史』129号)

(竹内誠)

出典　朝日日本歴史人物事典：（株）朝日新聞出版朝日日本歴史人物事典について　情報

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