Changes

Samurai stipends in the Edo period were paid out in ''[[koku]]'', i.e. in rice. However, gold and silver coinage was used in everyday exchanges (especially among ''[[chonin|chônin]]''/commoners - peasants, merchants, artisans, etc.). In Edo, gold was more widely circulated, while in [[Kamigata]] (the Kyoto-Osaka area), silver was more commonly the mode of exchange.

Samurai stipends in the Edo period were paid out in ''[[koku]]'', i.e. in rice. However, gold and silver coinage was used in everyday exchanges (especially among ''[[chonin|chônin]]''/commoners - peasants, merchants, artisans, etc.). In Edo, gold was more widely circulated, while in [[Kamigata]] (the Kyoto-Osaka area), silver was more commonly the mode of exchange.

Gold was exchanged in relatively standardized coins issued by the [[Tokugawa shogunate|shogunate]], including the ''ôban'' and the ''koban'', worth different denominations of ''ryô''. A ''ryô'' was considered to be roughly equal to one ''koku'', which in turn is said to have been roughly the amount of rice needed to feed a man for a year. However, rice and gold prices fluctuated dramatically over the course of the period, and the exact amount of rice that comprised a ''koku'' is a subject of debate.

Gold was exchanged in relatively standardized coins issued by the [[Tokugawa shogunate|shogunate]], including the ''ôban'' and the ''koban'', worth different denominations of ''ryô''. A ''ryô'' was considered to be roughly equal to one ''koku'', which in turn is said to have been roughly the amount of rice needed to feed a man for a year. However, rice and gold prices fluctuated dramatically over the course of the period, and the exact amount of rice that comprised a ''koku'' is, in any case, a subject of debate. Over the course of the Edo period, the cost of rice dropped dramatically relative to the value of gold, making samurai (who relied on stipends paid in ''koku'') less and less wealthy than members of the [[chonin|merchant class]] who earned their incomes in gold and silver.<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>

Silver and copper also existed in the form of coins. However, these were generally counted not by number of coins, but rather by weight, in ''momme''. One hundred ''momme'' were worth roughly one ''momme'' of silver, and one thousand ''momme'' was called one ''kanme''.

Silver and copper also existed in the form of coins. However, these were generally counted not by number of coins, but rather by weight, in ''momme''. One hundred ''momme'' were worth roughly one ''momme'' of silver, and one thousand ''momme'' was called one ''kanme''.

Though prices varied widely, of course, over time, from place to place, and depending on the quality of the goods or other factors, the following figures might provide a rough idea of prices (i.e. the value of the ''ryô'') in the "high" Edo period (18th to early 19th centuries).

Though prices varied widely, of course, over time, from place to place, and depending on the quality of the goods or other factors, the following figures might provide a rough idea of prices (i.e. the value of the ''ryô'') in the "high" Edo period (18th to early 19th centuries).

*2 or 3 ''momme'' - a cheap ''[[ukiyo-e]]'' print<ref name=screech>Screech, Timon. "Owning Edo-Period Paintings." in Lillehoj, Elizabeth (ed.) ''Acquisition: Art and Ownership in Edo-Period Japan''. Floating World Editions, 2007. p26.</ref>

*2 or 3 ''momme'' - a cheap ''[[ukiyo-e]]'' print<ref name=screech>Screech. p26.</ref>

*20 ''momme'' - an ''ukiyo-e'' print of good quality.<ref name=screech/>

*20 ''momme'' - an ''ukiyo-e'' print of good quality.<ref name=screech/>

*32 ''momme'' - the cost of seeing a play at [[Ryogoku|Ryôgoku]] in 1820.

*32 ''momme'' - the cost of seeing a play at [[Ryogoku|Ryôgoku]] in 1820.