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Expansion on economics
This trade came to an end in [[1635]] with the imposition of a set of maritime restrictions known as ''[[kaikin]]''<ref>Arano. p83.</ref> which forbade Japanese from traveling abroad or from returning to Japan. Over the course of the period from [[1633]] to [[1641]], the shogunate imposed a number of other related policies, restricting Chinese traders and representatives of the [[Dutch East India Company]] to Nagasaki, and all trade and relations to only four ports. Relations and trade with the Dutch and Chinese were managed at the shogunate-controlled port of Nagasaki; contact and trade with China was also effected through [[Satsuma han]] in the far south of [[Kyushu|Kyûshû]] and its vassal state, the [[Kingdom of Ryukyu|Kingdom of Ryûkyû]]. The [[So clan|Sô clan]] of [[Tsushima han]] handled relations with [[Korea]] and [[Matsumae han|Matsumae]], the only ''han'' on [[Ezo]] (now known as Hokkaidô), managed relations and trade with the native [[Ainu]]. Relations also continued, albeit to limited degrees, with various Southeast Asian polities, through Chinese traders who carried gifts and missives.
This trade came to an end in [[1635]] with the imposition of a set of maritime restrictions known as ''[[kaikin]]''<ref>Arano. p83.</ref> which forbade Japanese from traveling abroad or from returning to Japan. Over the course of the period from [[1633]] to [[1641]], the shogunate imposed a number of other related policies, restricting Chinese traders and representatives of the [[Dutch East India Company]] to Nagasaki, and all trade and relations to only four ports. Relations and trade with the Dutch and Chinese were managed at the shogunate-controlled port of Nagasaki; contact and trade with China was also effected through [[Satsuma han]] in the far south of [[Kyushu|Kyûshû]] and its vassal state, the [[Kingdom of Ryukyu|Kingdom of Ryûkyû]]. The [[So clan|Sô clan]] of [[Tsushima han]] handled relations with [[Korea]] and [[Matsumae han|Matsumae]], the only ''han'' on [[Ezo]] (now known as Hokkaidô), managed relations and trade with the native [[Ainu]]. Relations also continued, albeit to limited degrees, with various Southeast Asian polities, through Chinese traders who carried gifts and missives.
Japan imported a wide variety of goods, including ceramics, silks, aromatic woods, antlers, hides, and other animal products, and tea. Its primary exports were precious metals; throughout the 17th century, Japan was one of the world's primary sources of copper, silver, and gold<ref>Kobata, Atsushi. "Production and Uses of Gold and Silver in Sixteenth- and Seventeeth-Century Japan." ''The Economic History Review''. New Series, 18:2 (1965). pp245-266.</ref>. By the end of the century, however, due to a shortage of resources and shifting foreign demand, Japanese exports of precious metals suffered a severe decline.
<!--Shimabara Rebellion, and perhaps further discussion of Christian influence and bans-->
<!--Shimabara Rebellion, and perhaps further discussion of Christian influence and bans-->
<!--Expansion of roads and communications, economic growth, agricultural intensification, emergence of merchant class, merchant organizations (guilds), rice brokers (banks), export of silver and copper, urbanization-->
<!--Expansion of roads and communications, economic growth, agricultural intensification, emergence of merchant class, merchant organizations (guilds), rice brokers (banks), export of silver and copper, urbanization-->
Even so, the 17th century was a period of fantastic economic growth and development for Japan, as the foundations were laid for the nation's economic infrastructure. Osaka, Edo, and to a lesser extent Kyoto emerged as major commercial centers, and extensive transportation networks formed, shipping goods by road, river, and sea across the entire country. The primary thoroughfare on land was the [[Tokaido|Tôkaidô]], connecting Edo and Kyoto. By the end of the 17th century, at least twenty-four shipping companies were operating out of Osaka, transporting goods to and from Edo.
Guilds also grew more numerous and more organized in this period, further expanding the organization of the economy as a whole. The medieval ''[[za]]'' were transformed into ''[[kabunakama]]'', groups of merchants or artisans in a given specialty who were granted licenses by the shogunate to engage in a given type of work. Many merchants in the major ports of Nagasaki, Kagoshima, and Tsushima formed relations with shippers and warehousers called ''[[tonya]]'', who organized the transport, storage, and handling of goods shipped from these ports to the markets of Osaka and Edo.
In addition, [[rice brokers]], forerunners to a modern banking system, came to prominence at this time in Osaka, and were among the first futures exchanges in the world. Brokers took ''[[koku]]'' of rice from samurai, who were paid their stipends in that form, either paying the samurai in coin or holding onto the rice as a bank would, and issuing paper bills, representations of value. The brokers would then make loans of this rice to others, at high rates of interest. Networks of rice brokers across the country, acting as branch operations of the central exchange in Osaka, helped to ensure that samurai could have access to their funds wherever it was needed. The central exchange in Osaka, at [[Dojima Rice Exchange|Dôjima]], was organized in 1697 and formally sanctioned and supported by the shogunate beginning in 1773.
In short, a wide variety of economic developments combined in this period with the widespread reclamation of land for agricultural purposes, and the intensification of agricultural production to create a powerful trend of growth over the 17th century, which ended around the turn of the century, leading to a long period of stasis and relative prosperity.
===Genroku===
===Genroku===