明和期水戸鋳銭座の経営 : 組織と労働工程を中心に

概要

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Mito Isenza was located at Mito, a hundred kilometers from Edo (present-day Tokyo). It minted national coins under the approval of the central government (Tokugawa Shogunate) from 1768 to 1777, bringing huge minting profits to the local government (Mito domain). But the wealthy merchant designated as commissioner procured resources such as workers, raw materials, and funds from the Edo market. The commissioner's reports of estimated revenues and expenditures enable us to calculate seigniorage. However, the reports contain no information on the cost and volume of funds raised to finance minting activities. The minting process comprised three phases: melting, minting, and polishing. The wages of workers in each process showed substantial differences according to the level of their technical skills. The number of skilled workers receiving high wages was relatively small, and many unskilled and low-paid workers were recruited from lower classes that had emigrated to Edo from poor farming villages. The commissioner did not administer the minting process directly. On-site management was delegated to head skilled workers. The management policy was to respect the practices and customs of the workers, and the commissioner monitored daily output through clerks.
社会経済史学会の論文
2006-07-25