precedent

Lords of the eastern Japan had the same fate.
But its correspondence was different.
　
For example，reduction of land tax rate.
　
"Pay taxes by money instead of payment in kind.
Incidentally，tax reduction was subjected in this format.

At this time、the price of rice was set lower than the market value.
They was subjected to tax cuts without lowering land tax rate by it.
　
They were reluctant to make a precedent.
　
"Reduction of land tax rate."
The Tokugawa era was a precedent principle.
It may be lords did not want to make a precedent like that.
　
Of course this was a first aid.

After great famine until this restoration.
Population did not recover.
Such areas were also many.
　

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Debt from large merchants.
This case was many most.
　
And lords lost even the ability to pay interest on debt.
This also occurred frequently.
　
Then what happens?
　
They were not a company.
They were feudal lords.
　
"Eat and beat."
Merchants who had loans to lords.
They went bankrupt.
　
Of course，debt of lords did not disappear by it.
It was only lost the money to return the debt.
So lords looked for a new loan.

But they lost the trust from the merchant.
Conditions of the loan had become more and more severe.

Financial of lords became to deteriorate steadily.
　
　
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"During the five years.
Please downgrading our duty to ten thousand (koku).
Of course we will lower our income to that level.
We will pay the debt in its surplus.
And we will rebuild the lives of farmers."
Soma clan was submitted its petition to the Tokugawa regime.
　
This was the only Soma clan in the nation.
This was breaking the precedent.
　
The Tokugawa regime had approved this.　

great famine

Reign of the Tokugawa, 260 years.

There was three times great famine during this time.
Once in the first half of the 18th century.
This occurred mainly in western Japan.　

And maximum famine.
Second half of the 18th century, it occurred mainly in eastern Japan.

Large volcanic eruptions.
Cold weather damage.
Water damage.
This unusual weather was continued several years.　
　
Rice harvest in eastern Japan was nearly wiped out.

Therefore tax revenue reached zero.
Above all，their food was lost.
　
Starvation became commonplace landscape.
Japan's population fell by nearly 1 million at that time.
　
Of course，Soma clan was no exception.
　
　
・・・・・・・・・　

　
Escape of farmers by the hardships of life.　
Significant decrease in tax revenues by it.　
Increased borrowing by it.　
Negative effects of land surveying had already appeared to Soma.　
　
Great famine struck them at that time.
Starvation in Soma also became commonplace landscape.
　
They tried to rescue desperately the people under one's dominion.
However, there was no food.
East was the same situation everywhere.
They bought the food with a heavy debt.
　
And they survived this time somehow.　
　
　
・・・・・・・・・
　
　
However，many difficulties were left to them.

Decline in population.
Devastation of farmland.
Their tax revenue fell to third.
And heavy debt.
　
Finally they lost even the ability to pay interest on debt.

At this time，they were submitted petition to the Tokugawa regime.

"Please drop our status to ten thousand（koku)."

status

At that time, there were about 300 lords in Japan.
Status of lords.
It was determined by the yield of rice of their's territory.

When lords stay in the Edo city,they were "attendances" to Chiyoda Castle as obligation.
　
Their’s work room at the castle.
Their's seating arrangement at that room.
It had been decided strictly by their’s status.
(Japanese Seiza，they did not use the chair.)
　
　
・・・・・・・・・　
　

Increase of rice yields.　
It meant an increase in their status.
　
However，they had obligated of public works depending on their's status.
And they had obligated of decorated formality depending on their's status.
Therefore its cost increase also was large.　
　
So they did not notify growth in tax revenue to the Tokugawa regime basically.
This was tax evasion in a sense.

This also might have the same structure as the relationship of farmers and lords.
　
But Tokugawa did not pursue this basically.

"Because many lords are doing this.
And Changing the seating order may lead to change of public order."　
Feudal era was also era of the principle of conceding anything to avoid trouble.

"In everything，precedent is important."
They were avoidance the change of circumstances.

"The Tokugawa regime does not change the status of them.
However，they assume the obligations of public works more."
The Tokugawa regime was determined like this on this matter.
　
Having said that.
Criteria of obligations was the number of public only.
And new obligations was added to it.
As result，their's obligations was became lower than the actual number.
Surplus was born there.
　
This error did not exist in the Soma clan at this time.

land surveying

The beginning of the decisive financial difficulties of the Soma clan.
It's the beginning of the 18th century.

A century had passed already from the Tokugawa regime established.
Of course sundry expenses had been pressured to the finances of Soma clan.

They decided to run a land surveying as its breakthrough.
Decades had elapsed since the last land surveying.
Changes in the agricultural situation.
It was clear.

Of course farmers who have lost their fields were present.
At the same time，development of new fields by farmers was also progressing.

Its fields were not record in land surveying book.
So de facto tax-free land was exists.

Yields of rice of Soma clan.
Before land surveying，it was 60,000（koku）.

After land surveying，it became 98,000（koku）.
It was an increase of more than 50%.
　
Vassals and lord.
They partitioned it.
And they run taxation.　
　
Their financial situation were became better in a moment.
And their financial situation were became very worse immediately.
　
　
・・・・・・・・・　


Lords was not current local government.　
Of course, public and private had been confused.

"Public welfare."
However，this idea was present in samurai already.
They were not mere exploitation agency.
Therefore，tax increase to some extent was natural.

However，they was surveying an increase in land exactly.

"They did should properly investigated not only the land of farmers but also the situation of farmers.
But they were thinking immediate increase only.
They did not think about the life of farmers."
Tomita said so.
　
It may be that their finances that had been cornered up there.
However,when lords was needy，farmers were more needy.

Farmers had retained their own lives by development of new field.
Development of new field might have been right to life of them.
It had disappeared.

supplement

The following that I found by looking at book.

The United States Navy Commodore Perry.
His Uraga arrival in 1853.
(Uraga is located entrance of Edo Bay.)

Season of transformation of Japan began at this time in earnest.

And at this time,Tokugawa had been released the constraint of ship construction.
About 4 years later，Sendai clan did construction of Western-style warships.

However，it was the sailing ship like 250 years ago.

There is a Kesennuma port at about 80 km north of the Sendai city.
This ship sailed between them in the maiden voyage.
That number of days was two weeks.
(Probably include rest of their.)

Then,this ship sailed into Edo twice.
Of course construction of this ship became their financial burden.
 　

・・・・・・・・・
　　

According to the record of Katsu.　

When tycoon went to Kyoto from Edo by ship in 1863.
(Incidentally，Restoration was in 1868.)
At this time，Tokugawa was organized the fleet for the first time.

Western-style warships of lords were also participated in this fleet.
(７ lords and 1 lord was 1 ship.)　

Morioka clan.（Current Iwate)
They were the only participants from the East Japan lords.

"Steamboat"
However，this proviso was in his records for Western-style warship of Satsuma.
So other lords ships might was sailing ship.
　
　
・・・・・・・・・


Ōu alliance had been deployed two thousand people for the defense of the south east coast of Ōu region.
And they withdrew in nonresistance.

Landing troops of new government were thousand people at first.
(3 warships.)
It was strange that a little.

"Secret agreement existed?"
I thought so.

Secret negotiations of lords was begun already by the changes in the tactical situation.
This was of course.　
First of all，nobody of Ōu did want the war.

But Hirakata defense troops.
It was Sendai troops.
So ,would not it.

But their troops were two platoon.
Although its numbers was different by clan.
I think it was about three hundred people at most.

（Of course Sendai clan didn’t want the war.
They had most effort to avoid the war.）


・・・・・・・・・　

　
By the way I found only the number of two thousand.

Its troops deployment situation.
Also its troops organization.
Were it a modern troops?
I do not know now.

Just maybe、all of them.
It might have been Hiragata defense troops.
And combat power of the actual was two platoon of Sendai.
It could have been that.　

A landing possible coastline of only this area was 15 km or more.
And Coastline of Pacific Ocean side of Ōu.
It is 500 km or more.

Even if they run emphasis defense.　
First of all，beach defense strategy might have been impossible.
Navy was needed for them.　


・・・・・・・・・

　　
A one month and a half ago，when they were deprived of the Shirakawa Castle.
They suffered a large damage by shells of new government troops.

Bombardment of Western countries against the Choshu and Satsuma.
They also might had in mind it.

When the warships of new government appeared to Hiragata，they withdrew in nonresistance.

taxation

Soma is located to about 40 km south of the Sendai city.

According to the work of Tomita Takayoshi of Souma samurai.
The beginning of the decisive financial difficulties of the Soma clan.
It's 150 years ago from this era.

A century had passed already from the Tokugawa regime established.
Of course sundry expenses had been pressure on the finances of Soma clan.
They decided to run a land surveying as its breakthrough.

Yields of rice of Soma clan.
It was sixty thousand（koku）nominally.


・・・・・・・・・


Taxation to farmers had been determined by this number.
(rice amount that pay to lords.)

However，enfeoffment of the vassals was also included in this number.
Although vassals had to conform to policy of their clan，they were allowed the autonomy in their enfeoffment.

Therefore、the number after deducting  their enfeoffment.
Taxation was run using these numbers as a basis.

Sales profit of its rice as tax.
This was the state budget of them.

It was miniature version of the Tokugawa regime.

Japan was lord territory.
The Tokugawa regime was lord.
Lord was a vassals.

And although lords had to conform to policy of the Tokugawa regime，they were allowed the autonomy in their enfeoffment.
So the Tokugawa regime ran the nation by tax revenue of the territory of their own.

Of course the Tokugawa regime requested to cooperate to lords.
Lords were assigned to public works depending on their rice yields.
(Initially particularly，there was also the sense that dampen the economic strength of lords.)



・・・・・・・・・


Lords also requested to cooperate to his vassals depending on their family status.

For example，lords borrowed the part of vassals harvest rice.
And sold it.
It was de facto donation.

Such a request became routinely.
Financial of vassals was also became naturally severely　
　
Above all，its base was always farmers.
After all，all difficulties were passed on to them.
　

decreased

Before the Tokugawa’s Japan unification.
Japan was a Warring States period.
Local warlords were holding one's ground in various places of Japan.
Nationwide economic activity had been inhibited by it.

After the Tokugawa’s Japan unification.
It was made possible.
Nationwide economic network went developed gradually.
　
Economic center cities had been developed one after another.
This representative city was the Osaka city.

At first，crops in Japan were collected to the Osaka city.
And that price had determine.

As result large merchant appeared in the Osaka city.

Then they put a branch in throughout Japan.
(Some of them were in charge of the rice sale of that land.)
Lords began to borrow the money to them for the shortage of financial.

They also borrowed money for that repayment.
Of course，it became precarious day-to-day management.
　

・・・・・・・・・　
　
　
”We have to repay this debt.”

Initially，lords tried to increase the tax revenue by up of the tax rate.
(Increase the amount of crop to be housed in the national treasury.)

At the same time，they requested the money paid to the government against the people under one's dominion.

As result，certain period of time， tax revenue increased by it.
　
But farmers were impoverished as a corollary.
Farmers was initially self-sufficiency.
Money economy came in there gradually.
　
Farmers also borrowed the money.
And they also borrowed money for that repayment.
　
Person to bear their debt.
Of course，it did not exist for them.
　
Finally they had to fled from rural areas.
　
Edo，Osaka.
Large cities to accept them were already established.　

Farmers had decreased.
So rice yields had decreased.
So tax revenue had decreased.
So borrowed the money.

And great famine occurred at a period of time.