| Samurai Movies (14) |
January 7, 2022
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| The system between the Tokugawa Shogunate and each han (clan/domain) was relatively similar to the present day system of the national government and each prefecture, although there are some differences, of course. One major difference is the presence of national government's offices throughout the country. Now there are various national governmental offices in each and every prefecture: the national tax office, the labor office (for introduction of jobs), courts of law, the forestry office (for maintenance of the national forests), the infrastructure office (for maintenance of the national roads, rivers, bridges, bays, etc.), the transportation office (for licensing buses, taxis, trucks), weather forecast office, and military bases in some prefectures. Whereas, the Tokugawa shogunate didn't have offices in each han, although they did have their own lands around the Kanto area and had some castles in some cities like in Kamakura, Kofu, Kyoto, Osaka, and ports in Nagasaki and Yokohama. The Tokugawa Shogunate let each han rule their han in their own way, but in order to make each han to support the Tokugawa  Shogunate, they ranked each han and gave them tasks depending on their koku. In addition, they gave various governmental posts to hans which had been supporting the Tokugawa Shogunate from the past. An example of how each han related with Tokugawa Shogunate is as follows: In Edo, every daimyo had to meet the Shogun regularly on the same day each month. It was a big event. Their waiting rooms in the Edo Castle were decided depending on their ranks. Each daimyo would bring gifts every month. He found a present list from his han: March: kimono fabric (*) April: Horses May: kimono fabric (*) June: starch powder July: a salmon August: a falcon September: a swan and a special kimono (*) October: cods and yams November: falcons and salmons December: pheasants, kimono fabric (*), and salted salmon (*: They had a couple of famous dyeing colors and designs.) With this type of situation, as each han was compared by the Tokugawa Shogunate, and all daimyos and their retainers had to live in Edo, each han was sensitive to the other hans' gifts as well as political and economical movements. Thanks to a high consumption rate in Edo, making good products was a good business chance for each han, and they competed their products, crafts works, etc. against the other hans. In his han, iron pots were famous for tea ceremony lovers. During the Edo period, there were many improvements upon this product. He had heard that some specialists had improved their han's financial situations by introducing new products. Because of the severe financial situation of each han, they sometimes employed consultants to advice how to make their han more efficient. Each han shared these professional consultants. In the Edo Period, different from now, to get information from far places was not easy. 'Sankin-kotai' might have allowed valuable opportunities to exchange information for each han. (To be continued ...) |
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No.460
*presence :存在、影響力
*whereas :一方
*rule :統治する
*fabric :織物
*starch powder :（ここでは）かたくり
*falcon :鷹（たか）
*cod :鱈（たら）
*yam :山芋
*pheasant :雉（きじ）
*retainer :家来