Difference between revisions of "Koku"
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| − | '''Koku''' is a measurement of volume, the equivalent of about 180 liters. In theory, 1 koku of rice (about 150 kilograms) should be enough to feed 1 man for a year.<ref>It probably would not feed him very | + | *''Japanese'': 石 ''(koku)'' |
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| + | '''Koku''' is a measurement of volume, the equivalent of about 180 liters. In theory, 1 ''koku'' of rice (about 150 kilograms) should be enough to feed 1 man for a year.<ref>It probably would not feed him very well though. Using modern Japanese figures, one ''koku'' of rice a year would mean about 1430 cal/day. The recommended diet for a moderately active male of 150 cm. is about 2000 cal/day and for a quite active male is 3000 cal/day. Though not everything can carry right over, 1 ''koku'' of rice a year was probably not really sufficient for the diet of an active warrior or peasant. (''Visual Wide Food Composition Tables'' ヴィジュアルワイド食品成分表, Tokyo Shoseki, 1996)</ref> When fiefs were distributed, their wealth was often assessed in the amount of rice (or equivalent goods) that the administrator could expect to receive in taxes, an amount known as ''[[kokudaka]]''. This, in turn, would indirectly dictate the number of men such a lord could be expected to field, if necessary. | ||
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| + | In the [[Edo period]], samurai stipends were paid in ''koku'', and the gold currency denomination known as the ''[[currency|ryô]]'' was generally held to be roughly equivalent to one ''koku'' in value. Over the course of the period, however, the value of gold rose dramatically relative to the cost of rice,<ref>Screech, Timon. "Owning Edo-Period Paintings." in Lillehoj, Elizabeth (ed.) ''Acquisition: Art and Ownership in Edo-Period Japan''. Floating World Editions, 2007. p34.</ref> making samurai relying on stipends paid in rice less and less wealthy relative to the [[chonin|merchant class]], who earned their incomes in gold and silver. | ||
==References== | ==References== | ||
Revision as of 01:28, 13 December 2011
- Japanese: 石 (koku)
Koku is a measurement of volume, the equivalent of about 180 liters. In theory, 1 koku of rice (about 150 kilograms) should be enough to feed 1 man for a year.[1] When fiefs were distributed, their wealth was often assessed in the amount of rice (or equivalent goods) that the administrator could expect to receive in taxes, an amount known as kokudaka. This, in turn, would indirectly dictate the number of men such a lord could be expected to field, if necessary.
In the Edo period, samurai stipends were paid in koku, and the gold currency denomination known as the ryô was generally held to be roughly equivalent to one koku in value. Over the course of the period, however, the value of gold rose dramatically relative to the cost of rice,[2] making samurai relying on stipends paid in rice less and less wealthy relative to the merchant class, who earned their incomes in gold and silver.
References
- Sansom, George. A History of Japan 13334-1615. Stanford: Stanford University Press, 1963.
- Hall, John Whitney. Government and Local Power in Japan 500 to 1700: A Study Based on Bizen Province". Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1966.
Notes
- ↑ It probably would not feed him very well though. Using modern Japanese figures, one koku of rice a year would mean about 1430 cal/day. The recommended diet for a moderately active male of 150 cm. is about 2000 cal/day and for a quite active male is 3000 cal/day. Though not everything can carry right over, 1 koku of rice a year was probably not really sufficient for the diet of an active warrior or peasant. (Visual Wide Food Composition Tables ヴィジュアルワイド食品成分表, Tokyo Shoseki, 1996)
- ↑ Screech, Timon. "Owning Edo-Period Paintings." in Lillehoj, Elizabeth (ed.) Acquisition: Art and Ownership in Edo-Period Japan. Floating World Editions, 2007. p34.
