Study on Artisan Groups of the Ôgama Period at Seto- and Mino-style Kilns

近年，中世窯業史の研究は，文献史学，考古学等各方面から積極的なアプローチが試みられており，なかでも特に中世陶器（焼物）の生産経営形態についての論考には注目すべきものがある。これまでのところ，中世窯業の基本的生産経営形態を農閑副業とし，専業度の低い半農半工の生産者像を想定する見解が支配的であるが，その論拠となる資料解釈については，様々な問題点が指摘されており，一概にそれを農閑副業と規定することができないのが現状である。そこで，本稿では，文献史料，考古資料の両面から検討可能な瀬戸・美濃系大窯の生産経営形態について考察した。それによって，まず文献史料からは，16世紀後半から17世紀前半にかけてみられる発給文書に登場する竈屋は，戦国大名をはじめとする為政者から，当該期の職人と同様に諸役免許等の特権を与えられる代わりに，焼物臨時御用，営業税の支払い等の竈屋独特の負担が課せられていたこと，竈屋は商業活動や農業生産に係わりつつも職人（専業集団）として自立した存在であったことを明らかにした。次に考古資料からは，瀬戸・美濃系大窯の分布状況の分析を通して，大窯生産技術の拡散現象は，文献史料の竃屋と同様，一般の工人集団についても専業集団として生産を行っていたことを示すこと，また窯跡の分布は，大窯成立の直前には既に村落部に集中しはじめており，工人集団の専業集団としての性格は，遅くとも15世紀後半までは遡ることを明らかにした。そして，瀬戸・美濃窯の大窯の群構成は，織田信長の統一以前と以降とでは大きく異なっていることから，瀬戸・美濃窯の工人集団は，信長政権による領国の内外を含めた流通システムの掌握を主眼とする経済政策に直接組み込まれていった可能性を指摘した。

Recently, studies on the Medieval ceramic industry have progressed favorably. Active approaches from various angles have been tried, including philology and archaeology. In particular, studies on the form of production and administration of the Medieval potteries deserve attention.A predominant view on the Medieval ceramic industry is that the basic form of production and administration was that of a side job during the agricultural slack season, an image was assumed of semi-agricultural, semi-industrial producers with a low level of specialization in pottery. However, various problems have been pointed out on the interpretation of documents on which this common opinion is based. At present, we cannot unconditionally determine that pottery was the farmers' side job during the agricultural slack season.This paper inquires into the form of production and administration at the ‘Ôgama’ (Seto-and Mino-style great kilns), which can be examined from both historical documents and archaeological materials. Firstly, from the historical documents, it has been clarified that ‘Kamaya’ (potters), who appear in the documents issued from the later 16th to the early 17th Centuries, were granted privileges by their rulers, such as Sengoku Daimyô (lords in the Age of Civil Wars), for example, exemption from various services, like other artisans of the same period. In return, they were burdened with charges unique to the ‘Kamaya’, such as special orders to supply pottery, the payment of business taxes, etc. It is also clear that the ‘Kamaya’ existed independently as artisans (a professional group) while having some connections with commercial activities and agricultural production.Secondly, from the archaeological materials, the following points have been clarified: Through analysis of the distribution of the, ‘Ôgama’, the expansion of great-kiln production techniques shows that ordinary artisan groups were engaged in production as professional groups, in the same way as the ‘Kamaya’ seen in the historical documents; kilns had already started to be concentrated in village areas immediately before the establishment of the great kilns, and the character of the artisan groups as professional groups goes back to the latter half of the 15th Century; the group structure of the ‘Ôgama’ at Seto-Mino area differs substantially before and after the unification of Japan by Oda Nobunaga; and with Nobunaga's unification, the artisan groups at Seto-Mino area were directly incorporated into the distribution system controls, which covered both within and without the territories ruled by the Nobunaga government.

source:https://www.rekihaku.ac.jp/outline/publication/ronbun/ronbun2/index.html#no46