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''Kokudaka'' was a measure of the agricultural production of a ''daimyô'' domain, or "''[[han]]''," expressed as a measure of ''[[koku]]'' of rice. As a representation of the domain's wealth, ''kokudaka'' determined the amount of the domain's tax obligations to the shogunate, and the domain's status relative to other domains.
''Kokudaka'' was a measure of the agricultural production of a ''daimyô'' domain, or "''[[han]]''," expressed as a measure of ''[[koku]]'' of rice. As a representation of the domain's wealth, ''kokudaka'' determined the amount of the domain's tax obligations to the shogunate, and the domain's status relative to other domains.
The system owed much to the cadastral surveys undertaken by [[Toyotomi Hideyoshi]] in the 1580s-90s, which were the first to standardize the tools (and [[Japanese Measurements|units of measurement]]) throughout the process, across the archipelago. The surveys recorded and documented the location, size, and soil quality of each section of land, as well as the name of the chief cultivator, the crops being grown there, and the assessed taxable agricultural yield.<ref>[[Albert M. Craig]], ''The Heritage of Japanese Civilization'', Second Edition, Prentice Hall (2011), 64.</ref>
The smallest ''daimyô'' domains, by definition, possessed at least 10,000 ''koku'', while some samurai retainers were granted sub-domains within a ''han'', with a much smaller rating in ''koku''. The majority of ''han'' were officially assessed at a ''kokudaka'' in the range of 10,000 to 200,000 ''koku'', though the ''kokudaka'' of the most powerful domains exceeded 500,000 ''koku''.
The smallest ''daimyô'' domains, by definition, possessed at least 10,000 ''koku'', while some samurai retainers were granted sub-domains within a ''han'', with a much smaller rating in ''koku''. The majority of ''han'' were officially assessed at a ''kokudaka'' in the range of 10,000 to 200,000 ''koku'', though the ''kokudaka'' of the most powerful domains exceeded 500,000 ''koku''.
*''Edo daimyô hyakke'' 江戸大名百家. ''Bessatsu Taiyô'' 別冊太陽. Spring 1978.
*''Edo daimyô hyakke'' 江戸大名百家. ''Bessatsu Taiyô'' 別冊太陽. Spring 1978.
*[[Luke Roberts|Roberts, Luke]]. ''Performing the Great Peace: Political Space and Open Secrets in Tokugawa Japan''. University of Hawaii Press, 2012. p54.
*[[Luke Roberts|Roberts, Luke]]. ''Performing the Great Peace: Political Space and Open Secrets in Tokugawa Japan''. University of Hawaii Press, 2012. p54.
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[[Category:Edo Period]]
[[Category:Edo Period]]
[[Category:Terminology]]
[[Category:Terminology]]
