Abstract
This chapter consists of two sections. The first section explains how merchants had a “Way” which compares favorably with Bushido. The second section demonstrates why and how “The Way of the Merchant” Arose.
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Notes
- 1.
The figures for the various occupations during the Edo Period are incomplete, and accurate numbers are imprecise. According to government surveys in 1871, very soon after the Meiji Restoration , the samurai population was 6% of the total population. Moreover, there are no clear numbers for the percentage of the population comprising merchants, but according to historical records for the various fiefdoms, of the total population in the Akita domain in 1849 the samurai comprised 9.8% of the population, and the townspeople (craftsmen, merchants) 7.5%. The numbers for the Tsuwano domain in 1801 were, respectively, 7.16% and 3.32% (cf. Sekiyama 1958).
- 2.
- 3.
Hideyoshi Toyotomi (1536–1598) who rose through the ranks from farmer to the head of the samurai, succeeded in unifing the whole country. After his death, his son, Hideyori (1593–1615), was killed by Ieyasu Tokugawa, which led to the change of government.
- 4.
Cf. Shibusawa , Eiichi (1938) Economics and Morality . Eiichi Shibusawa (1840–1931) was a leading businessman. Before the Meiji Restoration he was a samurai serving Keiki Tokugawa, the last Shogun, and after the Restoration he participated actively as a top leader in the business world.
- 5.
As illuminating research on this subject, we recommend the following literature: Ishikawa , Ken (1960) Terakoya ; Kasai , Sukeharu (1960) A Comprehensive Study of Hanko in the Early Modern Period, Yoshikawa Kobunkan; Furukawa , Tetsushi (1961) Ethical Education in Japan; Dore, R.P. (1965) Education in Tokugawa Japan; Kubota , Nobuyuki (1988) Human Development in the Edo period; Ogata , Toshio (1988) Issues of the History of Education in the Early-Modern Period of Japan, Azekura Shobo; Takahashi , Satoshi (2007) Educational Power in the Edo Period; and Koizumi , Yoshinaga (2007) Ten Ways of Child Rearing.
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Horide, I. (2019). Why Study the Ethical Thought of Merchants in the Edo Period Japan?. In: The Mercantile Ethical Tradition in Edo Period Japan. Advances in Japanese Business and Economics, vol 20. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-13-7338-1_2
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