Wabai (English spelling) hé mǎi

Japanese: 和買 - わばい（英語表記）hé mǎi

A Chinese financial term. It refers to the purchase of materials necessary for finances from private citizens, and is also called wa shi or shi kai. The character wa (peace) is added to indicate that no coercion by government authority was used. Wa kai became popular from the mid-Tang period onwards, when military preparations in the border areas and capitals were strengthened and mercenary soldiers were used, and it developed further during the Song period. Various materials were purchased, but the most common were military provisions, silk cloth for military uniforms, horse feed, and culms, shoots, bamboo, and other materials used for river defence and flood control works on the Yellow River and Bian River, as well as fuel for the sieve work and wine work.

Source: Heibonsha World Encyclopedia, 2nd Edition Information

Japanese:

中国の財政用語。財政に必要な物資の民間からの買上げのことで，和市，市買ともいう。官権による強制を加えないという意味で和の字が冠せられる。和買が盛んになるのは，辺境や京師の軍備が強化され，傭兵制が用いられた唐中期以降で，宋代になるとますます発達する。買い上げた物資はさまざまであるが，特に多かったのは，兵糧，軍衣用の絹布，馬料や，黄河･汴河（べんが）等の河防治水工事や窰務（ようむ），酒務などの燃料に用いられる稈草･梢草･竹木等であった。

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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