Changes

The ''kokudaka'' of the entire archipelago totaled around 25 million ''koku'' around 1700,<ref>[[Mark Ravina]], ''Land and Lordship in Early Modern Japan'', Stanford University Press (1999), 7.</ref> after considerable growth in the 17th century, but remained relatively static over the course of the remainder of the [[Edo period]]. The Tokugawa were the largest landholders, with about four million ''koku'' worth of direct shogunate lands in the mid-18th century, comprising roughly 15% of the land, while the [[Maeda clan]] of [[Kaga han]] and [[Shimazu clan]] of [[Satsuma han]] were second and third in official ''kokudaka'', at one million and 770,000, respectively. About 500,000 ''koku'' worth of land was controlled by the Imperial family, major temples, and other such groups. ''[[Hatamoto]]'' controlled about ten percent of the land, and the ''daimyô'' the rest. 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''.<ref>Roberts, ''Performing the Great Peace'', 54; Ravina, ''Land and Lordship'', 16.</ref>

The ''kokudaka'' of the entire archipelago totaled around 25 million ''koku'' around 1700,<ref>[[Mark Ravina]], ''Land and Lordship in Early Modern Japan'', Stanford University Press (1999), 7.</ref> after considerable growth in the 17th century, but remained relatively static over the course of the remainder of the [[Edo period]]. The Tokugawa were the largest landholders, with about four million ''koku'' worth of direct shogunate lands in the mid-18th century, comprising roughly 15% of the land, while the [[Maeda clan]] of [[Kaga han]] and [[Shimazu clan]] of [[Satsuma han]] were second and third in official ''kokudaka'', at one million and 770,000, respectively. About 500,000 ''koku'' worth of land was controlled by the Imperial family, major temples, and other such groups. ''[[Hatamoto]]'' controlled about ten percent of the land, and the ''daimyô'' the rest. 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''.<ref>Roberts, ''Performing the Great Peace'', 54; Ravina, ''Land and Lordship'', 16.</ref>

This figure, though ostensibly based on the actual agricultural production of the domain's territory, often did not change over the course of the period. A domain's ''kokudaka'' might be changed as a political reward or punishment, but the shogunate did not engage in regular surveys of agricultural production, and did not update domains' ''kokudaka'' on the basis of their production.

This figure, though ostensibly based on the actual agricultural production of the domain's territory, often did not change over the course of the period. A domain's ''kokudaka'' might be changed as a political reward or punishment, but the shogunate did not engage in regular surveys of agricultural production, and did not update domains' ''kokudaka'' on the basis of their production. One of the results or implications of this is that ''kokudaka'' did not accurately reflect the total amount of food (or even just of rice) available within a territory. Most peasants, on average, can be assumed to have been producing or otherwise obtaining more food than a simple calculation of the ''kokudaka'' divided by the population would indicate.

Multiple different figures for the ''kokudaka'' thus often existed simultaneously for a single domain. The official figure determined and recognized by the [[Tokugawa shogunate]] and used as a marker or indicator of the domain's wealth and status can be referred to as ''omotedaka'' (表高), using the character ''omote'', meaning "official," "surface," or "outside." This was also known as ''hôdaka'' (封高), meaning the ''kokudaka'' one was officially invested (''hô'') with.<ref>Ravina, ''Land and Lordship'', 12, 226.</ref> Meanwhile, nearly all domains maintained their own internal figures for agricultural production, called ''uchidaka'' (内高), using the character ''uchi'', meaning "inside" or "internal." The ''uchidaka'' was often a higher figure, more regularly assessed and more accurately reflecting increases and expansions of agricultural productivity within the domain. It was generally in the best interests of the domain to not report the higher figure, and to allow the ''omotedaka'' recognized by the shogunate to remain at a lower figure, since this meant lower tax payments owed by the domain to the shogunate; though this seems deceitful or deceptive, such behavior was widely condoned by the shogunate, as part of the philosophy of [[omote and uchi|''omote'' and ''uchi'']], allowing internal matters to remain relatively private, so long as a domain's obligations on the official, external level were properly observed.

Multiple different figures for the ''kokudaka'' thus often existed simultaneously for a single domain. The official figure determined and recognized by the [[Tokugawa shogunate]] and used as a marker or indicator of the domain's wealth and status can be referred to as ''omotedaka'' (表高), using the character ''omote'', meaning "official," "surface," or "outside." This was also known as ''hôdaka'' (封高), meaning the ''kokudaka'' one was officially invested (''hô'') with.<ref>Ravina, ''Land and Lordship'', 12, 226.</ref> Meanwhile, nearly all domains maintained their own internal figures for agricultural production, called ''uchidaka'' (内高), using the character ''uchi'', meaning "inside" or "internal." The ''uchidaka'' was often a higher figure, more regularly assessed and more accurately reflecting increases and expansions of agricultural productivity within the domain. It was generally in the best interests of the domain to not report the higher figure, and to allow the ''omotedaka'' recognized by the shogunate to remain at a lower figure, since this meant lower tax payments owed by the domain to the shogunate; though this seems deceitful or deceptive, such behavior was widely condoned by the shogunate, as part of the philosophy of [[omote and uchi|''omote'' and ''uchi'']], allowing internal matters to remain relatively private, so long as a domain's obligations on the official, external level were properly observed.