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. This, in turn, would indirectly dictate the number of men such a lord could be expected to field, if necessary.
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 wel 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 actve 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)