The Silk Weaving Industry in Nagahama, (Hamachirimen)

Abstract

In mordern times, there are some famous silk textile centers in Japan, such as Nishijin-Tango, Kiriu, Nagahama and Gifu-Ashikaga and Hachioji. This series of weaving districts shows the stages of production and circulation, as well as the distance of time. Here in this paper, I took Nagahama as an example of local weaving centers which made a sudden rise from the middle of the Edo era onwards; and especially inquired into its mechanism of circulation of commodities. The silk textile industry of Hamachirimen developed at Nagahama-cho and its vicinial rural communities in Omi-no-kuni (Shiga Prefecture), approximately from 1 onwards.1. In those days, however, most of the market-places in Kyoto had been already monopolized by the guild of Nishijin. Consequently, it was ostensibly settled that the lord of the manor (the clan of Hikone) collected the silk crape from the farmers as the land-tax, and sold it in Kyoto.2. From old times, the silk-reeling industry flourished in the three subpretectures, located to the north-east of Lake Biwa. They were the important source of supplying materials for the silk textile industry in Kyoto. From old, therefore, the three subprefectures were put under the capitalistic rule of the wholesale yarn dealers in Kyoto, and capital accumulation at the producing district was oppressed.For these reasons, 1. and 2., the silk textile industry was protected by the lord of the manor for both sides, the capital and the market for goods. On the other hand, however, this was followed by the fact that free development of the silk weaving industry of the people in the clan was restrained by the power of the feudal lord.This is not the only case of its kind, but such is seen in the Gifu silk textile industry. It is one of the peculiar characters of backward local weaving centers in the Edo Period.