Geography Reference
In-Depth Information
a day, which was available to officials. Messengers working for the government had pri-
ority at ferries, and could pass barriers at all times; very often the messenger was accom-
panied by an escort bearing a lantern on which the word
goyo
(“Official business”) was
written. The same sort of system came to apply to the other great roads of Japan.
(61) Chair-men wait for a fare. They could be rough characters, as indicated by the tattoo-
ing on their backs and shoulders.
When the shipping was flourishing, it was no longer economical to use the land routes
forthetransportofgoods,andthepackhorsesandportersthatusedthemwereeithercover-
ing inland areas where a sea route was not available, or were carrying goods requiring spe-
cial attention. An extreme example of the latter category was the present sent by the great
Kyoto actor of the late seventeenth century, Sakata Tōjūrō, to a colleague in Edo who had
playedaseasoninKyoto—alargejarofwaterfromtheRiverKamothere,sothathecould
use it for making the first ceremonial tea of the New Year. Tōjūrō wanted to give his friend
something of great sentimental but little monetary value, and to ensure its safe arrival he
sent it by road with eight porters to carry it.
A look at the founding of the fortunes of the Mitsui family, who, like the Kōnoike,
survived the Restoration to become one of the financial giants of modern Japan, will shed
more light on the commercial way of life of the times. Originally the Mitsui family was
established in the town of Matsuzaka, near Ise, where they carried on the business of
sake
merchants and pawnbrokers. The originator of their expansion was Takatoshi (1622-94),
the youngest son of another Takatoshi; their possession of a family name was due to a
samurai
origin.Thefatherissaidtohavebeenlackingincommercialability,andtheirsuc-
cess in business was inspired by the mother.
In about 1625 the eldest son, Toshitsugu, had gone to Edo to take advantage of the
new developments there and help improve the family fortune. At first he worked for some
