Changes

*''Japanese'': 北前船 ''(kitamaebune)''

*''Japanese'': 北前船 ''(kitamaebune)''

The ''kitamaebune'' were cargo ships which ran from the mid-[[Edo period]] into the [[Meiji period]], connecting [[Osaka]] and [[Ezo]] ([[Hokkaido|Hokkaidô]]) via various ports in the [[Inland Sea]] and the [[Sea of Japan]] coast.

The ''kitamaebune'' were cargo ships which ran from the mid-[[Edo period]] into the [[Meiji period]], connecting [[Osaka]] and [[Ezo]] ([[Hokkaido|Hokkaidô]]) via various ports in the [[Inland Sea]] and the [[Sea of Japan]] coast. Their route was known as the Western Sea Circuit, or ''nishi-mawari kôro'', in contrast to the [[Eastern Sea Circuit]], or ''higashi-mawari kôro'', which carried a lesser but still major volume of goods, connecting Osaka and Ezo along the eastern (Pacific) coast of Honshû.<ref>Robert Hellyer, ''Defining Engagement'', Harvard University Press (2009), 129.</ref>

The ships themselves included ''[[sengokubune]]'' (ships capable of carrying 1,000 ''[[koku]]'' of rice), as well as ''[[benzaisen]]'' and ''[[donguri-bune]]''. Originally, the ships traveling this route carried roughly 200-500 ''koku'' worth of goods, but by the Meiji period, a class of ships carrying up to 2000 ''koku'' worth of goods came onto the scene.

The ships themselves included ''[[sengokubune]]'' (ships capable of carrying 1,000 ''[[koku]]'' of rice), as well as ''[[benzaisen]]'' and ''[[donguri-bune]]''. Originally, the ships traveling this route carried roughly 200-500 ''koku'' worth of goods, but by the Meiji period, a class of ships carrying up to 2000 ''koku'' worth of goods came onto the scene.

Goods from Hokkaidô which were brought to the Sea of Japan coast ports, Inland Sea, and Osaka were chiefly marine goods, including herring, [[konbu]] (seaweed), and the like. These goods then circulated further throughout the archipelago, making it even as far as [[Ryukyu Kingdom|Ryûkyû]], and via Ryûkyû, to China, as [[tribute]] goods. Meanwhile, goods traveling in the other direction, from Osaka and elsewhere to the Inland Sea, the Sea of Japan coastal ports, and Hokkaidô, included rice, salt, textiles, and saké, as well as [[Chinese medicine]] ingredients obtained from China via Ryûkyû.

Goods from Hokkaidô which were brought to the Sea of Japan coast ports, Inland Sea, and Osaka were chiefly marine goods, including herring, [[konbu]] (seaweed), and the like. These goods then circulated further throughout the archipelago, making it even as far as [[Ryukyu Kingdom|Ryûkyû]], and via Ryûkyû, to China, as [[tribute]] goods. Meanwhile, goods traveling in the other direction, from Osaka and elsewhere to the Inland Sea, the Sea of Japan coastal ports, and Hokkaidô, included rice, salt, textiles, and saké, as well as [[Chinese medicine]] ingredients obtained from China via Ryûkyû.

Many of the ships were owned and operated by merchants based in Osaka or [[Sakai]], but many were also owned and operated by individuals based in ports elsewhere along the route, including some from rather small ports.

Many of the ships were owned and operated by merchants based in Osaka or [[Sakai]], but many were also owned and operated by individuals based in ports elsewhere along the route, including some from rather small ports. Several domains, including [[Toyama han|Toyama]] and [[Kaga han]], made concerted efforts in the early decades of the 19th century to become prominent regions for the construction of ships which could carry goods along this route.

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