Nominal money - Myo-mokukin

Japanese: 名目金 - みょうもくきん

A type of financial system in the Edo period. Also called nominal silver. High-ranking temples and shrines with special relationships with the shogunate lent money under a certain name, or nominal gold, to samurai, townspeople, and farmers for repair fees for buildings and other purposes. The origins of nominal gold loans can be seen as early as the Middle Ages, when powerful temples and shrines lent money collected as altar money to make profits. In the Edo period, especially in the middle of the period, the shogunate granted nominal gold loans the same priority in loan lawsuits as public money loans, so that nobles and the three families of the Edo period also began to actively lend nominal gold, following in the footsteps of temples and shrines.

Source: Heibonsha World Encyclopedia, 2nd Edition Information

Japanese:

江戸時代における金融制度の一種。名目銀ともいう。格式の高い門跡寺院や，幕府と特別な関係にある寺社などが，堂舎の修復料そのほか，なんらかの名目を冠した資金すなわち名目金を，武家や町人，農民に貸し付けた。名目金貸付けの源流は，はやく中世の有力寺社にみられ，祠堂銭として集めた金銭を貸し付けて利殖していた。江戸時代に入り，とくに中期ごろより幕府はこの名目金貸付けに対し，公金貸付けと同様の貸借訴訟上の優先権を認めたので，公家や三家などでも，寺社にならってさかんに名目金貸付けを行うようになった。

出典　株式会社平凡社世界大百科事典第２版について　情報

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