Medieval Sugaura from the perspective of consumption theory

This article attempts to further clarify the occupational structure of Sugaura Village in medieval Japan’s Omi Province based on an examination of consumption patterns of local products, for the purpose of constructing an approach to consumption based on the viewpoint of environmental history. Recently the conventional image of Sugiura as a settlement of “lake people” engaged in fishing and transportation on the waters of Lake Biwa has been first reexamined by historians of the late premodern period, followed by their colleagues in medieval history. In sum, Sugaura was also engaged in important agricultural work “the village and the sundrenched slopes of its hinterland.” <br> Of the tribute goods---carp, barley, loquats and soy beans---Sugaura was bound to remit to the  aristocracy in 1335, carp was designated as a substitute for monetary levies in 1458, while loquats were sent to the imperial palace and redistributed to landed proprietors residing in the capital. On the other hand, from an examination of gift-giving within the local region of Lake Biwa, we find Sugaura reciprocating with mainly loquats and koji. In either case, the products exchanged locally and remitted to the capital came mainly from the “the village and the sundrenched slopes of its hinterland”. What is important to note here, is that Sugaura was on the receiving end of gifts of freshwater fish, such as funa, ugui and ayu, which would probably not have been offered if Sugaura was mainly a fishing  village. That is to say, it is highly possible that the central occupations of medieval Sugaura, as indicated by the local region’s consumption patterns, were not being conducted on the inland waters, but rather on the “the village and the sundrenched slopes of its hinterland”. <br>  Medieval Sugaura was characterized by a complex mix of varied occupations, not only in terms of work, but also in terms of consumption, possibly enabling us to further clarify a village hierarchical structure and its transformation in terms of its value for the capital of Kyoto and the local region. Moreover, being able to demonstrate the relationship between that structure and the village’s natural endowments and conditions should make an important contribution to the study of regional environmental history.