was the
Tokugawa shogunate
The Tokugawa shogunate (, Japanese 徳川幕府 ''Tokugawa bakufu''), also known as the , was the military government of Japan
Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in ...
's officially sanctioned
cinnabar
Cinnabar (), or cinnabarite (), from the grc, κιννάβαρι (), is the bright scarlet to brick-red form of mercury(II) sulfide (HgS). It is the most common source ore for refining elemental mercury and is the historic source for the bri ...
monopoly or cinnabar guild (''
za'') which was created in 1609.
Initially, the Tokugawa shogunate was interested in assuring a consistent value in minted coins; and this led to the perceived need for attending to the supply of cinnabar.
This ''
bakufu
, officially , was the title of the military dictators of Japan during most of the period spanning from 1185 to 1868. Nominally appointed by the Emperor, shoguns were usually the de facto rulers of the country, though during part of the Kamakura ...
'' title identifies a
regulatory agency
A regulatory agency (regulatory body, regulator) or independent agency (independent regulatory agency) is a government authority that is responsible for exercising autonomous dominion over some area of human activity in a licensing and regulat ...
with responsibility for supervising the handling and trading of cinnabar and for superintending all cinnabar mining and cinnabar-extraction activities in Japan.
[Hall, John Wesley. (1955) ''Tanuma Okitsugu: Forerunner of Modern Japan,'' p. 201.]
See also
*
Bugyō
was a title assigned to ''samurai'' officials during the feudal period of Japan. ''Bugyō'' is often translated as commissioner, magistrate, or governor, and other terms would be added to the title to describe more specifically a given offici ...
*
Kinzan-bugyō
were officials of the Tokugawa shogunate in Edo period Japan.
This ''bakufu'' title identifies an official with responsibility for superintending all mines, mining and metals-extraction activities in Japan.Hall, John Wesley. (1955 ''Tanuma Okits ...
* ''
Kinza'' – Gold ''za'' (monopoly office or guild).
* ''
Ginza
Ginza ( ; ja, 銀座 ) is a district of Chūō, Tokyo, Chūō, Tokyo, located south of Yaesu and Kyōbashi, Tokyo, Kyōbashi, west of Tsukiji, east of Yūrakuchō and Uchisaiwaichō, and north of Shinbashi. It is a popular upscale shopping area ...
'' – Silver ''za'' (monopoly office or guild).
* ''
Dōza'' – Copper ''za'' (monopoly office or guild)
Notes
References
*
Hall, John W. (1955). ''Tanuma Okitsugu, 1719–1788: Forerunner of Modern Japan''. Cambridge: Harvard University Press
OCLC 445621*
Jansen, Marius B. (1995). ''Warrior Rule in Japan''. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
OCLC 422791897*
Schaede, Ulrike. (2000). ''Cooperative Capitalism: Self-Regulation, Trade Associations, and the Antimonopoly Law in Japan''. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
OCLC 505758165* Takekoshi, Yosaburo. (1930). ''The Economic Aspects of the History of the Civilization of Japan''. New York: Macmillan Publishers
OCLC 313511699
Government of feudal Japan
Officials of the Tokugawa shogunate
Economy of feudal Japan
1609 establishments in Japan
Monopolies
Guilds in Japan
{{Japan-hist-stub