Timber market - English

A market where timber transactions are regularly conducted, with the premise of collecting and shipping timber. Based on the form of transaction, timber markets are divided into markets where timber is bought and sold through bilateral transactions mainly with timber wholesalers, and timber markets where timber is bought and sold through a method known as the auction method. The latter timber markets are further divided into log markets that specialize in handling logs, and finished timber markets that specialize in handling sawn timber products.

Timber markets have a relatively recent history, having been established as distribution entities to promote the modernization of the timber market (fair trade, public price disclosure) during the period of rising domestic timber prices after the Second World War. In contrast, timber wholesalers, who manage the timber market through bilateral trade, have a long history, dating back to the timber za of the Middle Ages. At the end of the Heian period, monetary coins were imported from China and the monetary economy developed, and at the same time, "za" (commercial za), professional groups with the privilege of exclusive rights to buy and sell goods, were formed. The timber "za" was one of these. These "za" were continued during the Kamakura and Muromachi periods, and zaimokuza (commercial za) were formed by timber merchants whose headquarters were the imperial court or temples and shrines. The "Kamakura zaimokuza" whose name remains today was a za formed during the Kamakura period, and the "Kyoto Horikawa zaimokuza" was a za formed during the Muromachi period. Of these timber za, timber wholesalers were established during the Edo period in consumer areas with good water transport access. Lumber wholesalers in the Edo period initially acted as middlemen (intermediary trading wholesalers) and retailers, acting as general trading companies, but in the mid-Edo period the middlemen separated and developed into the wholesale and retail wholesalers we see today.

Statistical data on the lumber market has been published in the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries' "Wood Distribution Structure Survey Report," but in 2001 the breakdown of the number of establishments (wholesale, retail) was removed from this statistical report, and in 2006 the number of establishments by retailer was removed. Since then, the "Wood Distribution Structure Survey Report" has only included the sales volume of sawn lumber, broken down by domestic and imported lumber. For reference, the lumber market as of 2001 had 10,578 establishments in the wholesale, retail, etc. sectors. In the lumber market, there were 425 log markets with a log handling volume of 8.91 million cubic meters (53% of domestic log distribution), and 274 finished lumber markets with a finished product handling volume of 5.09 million cubic meters (19% of finished product distribution).

The Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries' Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Statistics (2011 edition) lists the shipping ratios of materials (logs) and sawn lumber products by shipping destination as of 2011. According to this, the total shipping volume of materials was 30.33 million cubic meters, of which 27% was shipped to the lumber market and 31% was shipped to lumber dealers. As for domestic lumber, the total shipping volume of logs was 20.01 million cubic meters, of which 39% was shipped to the log market and 20% was shipped to lumber dealers. As for sawn lumber products (domestic lumber products and imported lumber products), the total shipping volume was 9.43 million cubic meters, of which 22% was shipped to the lumber market and 35% was shipped to lumber dealers, etc. Of this, the total shipping volume of domestic lumber products was 6.45 million cubic meters, of which 29% was shipped to the lumber market and 27% was shipped to lumber dealers, etc.

As an overall trend, timber markets handle a higher proportion of domestic timber than timber dealers (etc.), and are key facilities for the distribution of domestic timber. With this in mind, we will present the functions and problems of timber markets. Among timber markets, the log market functions as a production market, while the finished product market functions as a consumption market. Timber markets use an auction system to determine prices, so they have the function of disclosing prices as desired by shippers and buyers. As transactions are conducted at timber markets with a thorough inspection of the actual goods, they have the function of fair volume transactions, which prevents the undervaluation of timber volumes. One problem is that timber markets hold timber sales on fixed market days per month, making it difficult to conduct urgent transactions.

[Yamagishi Kiyotaka]

"The Timber Industry and Distribution Reorganization" edited by Akitatsu Okamura (1977, Japan Forestry Research Council) " ▽ "The Economics of the Timber Industry" by Yoshinao Murashima (1982, Japan Forestry Research Council)

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

木材の集荷・出荷機能を前提に、木材取引が経常的に行われる場をいう。取引形態から木材市場は、木材問屋を中心に相対取引で木材売買を行う市場と、市売市買(いちうりいちかい)（セリ方式）と称される売買方式で木材売買を行う木材市売市場とに分かれる。後者の木材市売市場は、原木を専門に取り扱う原木市売市場と、製材品を専門に取り扱う製品市売市場とに区分される。

　木材市売市場の歴史は新しく、第二次世界大戦後の国産材価格の上昇期に木材市場の近代化（正量取引、価格公開）を推進する流通事業体として開設された市場である。これに対して、相対取引の木材市場を取り仕切る木材問屋は発祥の歴史が古く、中世の材木座などにさかのぼる。平安時代の末期、中国から宗銭が輸入され貨幣経済が発達するが、それとともに商品の独占売買を特権的に扱う職業集団の「座」が結成される。木材の「座」はその一つである。鎌倉、室町時代はこの「座」が継承され、朝廷や社寺を本所にした木材商人によって材木座が結成される。現代に名称を残す「鎌倉の材木座」は鎌倉時代に結成された座であり、「京都堀川の材木座」は室町時代に結成された座である。これらの材木座のうち、江戸時代に水運の便の良い消費地に発足するのが材木問屋である。江戸時代の材木問屋は、最初は仲買（仲継取引問屋）や小売をも兼ねる総合商社みたいなものであったが、江戸中期に仲買が分かれ、現代にみられる卸・小売問屋に発展していった。

　木材市場に関する統計資料は、これまで農林水産省『木材流通構造調査報告書』に掲載されてきたが、この統計書から2001年（平成13）に事業所数の内訳（卸売、小売）が、2006年に販売業者別の事業所数が削除された。それ以降、『木材流通構造調査報告書』には、国産材、外材別の製材品販売量だけが掲載される状態となっている。参考までに2001年時点の木材市場の状況を示すと、卸売、小売などの事業所数は1万0578事業所となっている。木材市売市場は、原木市売市場が425市場、原木取扱量が891万立方メートル（国産材原木流通に占めるシェア53％）、製品市売市場は274市場、製品取扱量が509万立方メートル（製品流通シェア19％）となっている。

　なお、農林水産省『農林水産統計』（2011年版）には、2011年時点の素材（丸太）、製材品の出荷先別の出荷割合などが掲載されている。それによると、素材の総出荷量は3033万立方メートル、そのうち木材市売市場には27％が出荷され、木材販売業者には31％が出荷されている。国産材については、丸太の総出荷量が2001万立方メートル、そのうちの39％が原木市売市場に出荷され、木材販売業者には20％が出荷されている。製材品（国産材製品、外材製品）については、総出荷量が943万立方メートル、そのうち木材市売市場への出荷が22％、木材販売業者等への出荷が35％となっている。このうち国産材製品は全体の出荷量が645万立方メートル、内訳では木材市売市場への出荷が29％、木材販売業者等への出荷が27％となっている。

　全体の傾向としては、木材市売市場は木材販売業者（等）に比して国産材の取扱比率が高く、国産材流通の主要施設となっている。この点を踏まえ、木材市売市場の機能、問題点等を提示しておこう。木材市売市場のうち原木市売市場は産地市場として機能し、製品市売市場は消費地市場として機能している。木材市売市場はセリ方式で価格を決める方式がとられているため、出荷者や買方が求める価格公開の機能を有している。木材市売市場は、現物熟覧のもとで取引が行われるため、材積の過小評価などを防ぐ正量取引の機能をもっている。問題点としては、木材市売市場は月を単位に市日(いちび)を固定して木材の売買を開催する方式をとっているため、緊急性のある取引がむずかしいなどの難点も抱えている。

［山岸清隆］

『岡村明達編著『木材産業と流通再編』（1977・日本林業調査会）』▽『村島由直著『木材産業の経済学』（1982・日本林業調査会）』

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