The Conversion of Fish Manure and its Distribution Structure in Omi Province during the Edo Period

Abstract

In Omi province, fish manure had been brought into use for the maintenance of soils since the early Edo period, and the kind of fish manure changed from sardine, to herring in the middle of the 18th century. This paper tries to investigate factors bringing about that change by focussing on the relationship between the production, distribution and consumption of fish manure. In other words, an attempt is made to clarify the regional structure of the nodal system connecting the fishing regions with the agricultural regions through the distribution of fish manure.The main results of this paper are summarized as follows:1) In agricultural regions in Omi province, dominant use of fish manure since the early Edo period was caused by the decrease of grass manure based upon the exploitation of new plowlands. Furthermore, the kind of fish manure changed from sardine to herring in the middle of the 18th century. This conversion was due to both the changes of economic conditions in the production regions of the fish manure and the introduction of new fishing manure in agricultural regions in Kanto district.2) Rapid exploitation of plowlands in Kanto district in the 18th century required great amounts of fish manure. Therefore, the quantity of the fish manure which was transported from Kanto to Kansai greatly decreased, and the fish manure for use in Omi province was transported from the remote Ezo area where the production of herring manure was dominant. In Omi province, fish manure was transported via Osaka-port or Yokkaichi-port in Ise province, from Kanto till the middle of the 18th century, and after that period through Tsuruga-port in Wakasa province from the Ezo area.3) Many wholesellers of fish manure were located in the southeast district in Omi province. This was because a large amount of fish manure was widely used in the southeast where tea production prevailed due to geographical conditions, i. e., moderate humidity, slope and height. Tea produced there was consumed in Hokuriku district.