<Articles>Kyoshinmai and Tojo : Rice-tax and the Development of the Ancient Capital of Kyoto

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Other Title
  • <論説>京進米と都城
  • 京進米と都城
  • キョウシンマイ ト トジョウ

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During the 9 th and 10 th centuries, the choyo tax system declined and the shozei, the prime local tax, which had been amassed previously, came to be utilized. Accordingly, the rice represented by the shozei began to play an important part in the area of national finance. Heretofore the shozei has only been considered as a supplement of the choyo. However, I believe that the importance of the shozei must be justly recognized. From this point of view, the shozei was the characteristic element of the evolution of the ritsuryo financial system during the 9 th and 10 th centuries and a significant stage leading to the formation of the medieval financial system. In this article, I tried to reconsider the kyoshinmai in relation to the development of tojo (castle town) from this perspective. During the 8 th century, the rice collected as tax by the governing body in Kyoto (kyoshinmai) was required only as foodstuff for the government offcials (kanjin) and public laborers (ekitei). Accordingly this was not a great amount of rice. However, during the 9 th and 10 th centuries, the increase of the kyoshinmai is illustrated by the increase in the jishimai, the allocation of the shomai to the salaries of the officials, and similar occurances. This reflected the rising demand for rice as an advantageous means of exchange. Also during the 9 th century, fewer and fewer inhabitants of the tojo engaged in agricultural activities. As a consequence, the population of consumers increased. Thus, it is against this background of a shift from the ancient tojo to a medieval city, that the increase in kyoshinmai and the relatively increasing importance of rice in the area of national finance, ought to be understood.

Journal

  • 史林

    史林 72 (6), 859-897, 1989-11-01

    THE SHIGAKU KENKYUKAI (The Society of Historical Research), Kyoto University

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