桜井木材市場の発展過程に関する研究

Abstract

奈良桜井木材市場は, 流送路と無関係に陸上交通による木材集荷に依存して発展した市場という特色をもつ。このことは, 特定の木材問屋資本による山方支配の関係を生ぜしめず, 山方の直接生産者の順調な成長と, 市場内における木材, 製材資本の内生的継起的な自立展開を可能にした。この論稿は, かかる桜井市場の展開過程を背後地の林業の発展と関連せしめながら跡づけたものである。(1) 桜井の初期の原木供給源は多武峯であった。ここでは江戸中期から林地の実質的な私有が成立しており, その上に立って集約な育林業が展開した。これは元来山郷の農民によってなされたものだが, やがて貨幣経済の滲透に伴ない, 平坦部とりわけ桜井の商人たち (主として日用品を取扱う雑多な業種) の手へ集中されてゆく。なおそのさいの取引対象は「小苗山」・「中木山」が多く, 経営目的よりも財産としての取得であるといえる。(2) 明治に入り, 桜井では初めて木材業者が出現する。そして明治中期以降, 鉄道による販路拡大が可能になった結果, 市場は急速に発展し, 東吉野・宇陀が集荷圏内へ入ってくる。また産地や他地方から木材業者が桜井へ進出するケースもみられる。さらにかかる市場の横への拡がりを基盤として, 明治末期からは製材業 (賃挽)・廃材加工の各種木工業などがふえ, 以後桜井は縦深的な構造をもつ市場としていっそう定着することになる。(3) 戦後はトラック輸送が飛躍的に発達し, 戦前の集荷圏の自然地理的閉鎖性を打ち破った結果, 桜井はより広域的な市場間原木獲得競争にまきこまれた。桜井木材協組による市売りと金融事業は, 桜井への集荷の促進に大きな役割を果たし, その基盤に立って中小製材工場が叢立した。しかし組合の存在は逆に小規模製材の上昇を許さぬことにもなり, 頭打ち状態である。一方昭和36年頃から, 大手業者は外材に指向して一時活況を呈したが, やはり港湾製材に較べてコスト面の遜色を免れぬので, 高能率大量生産と小口集約製材とのディレンマを脱し切れぬ状況にある。

Among the many timber markets in Japan, the timber market of Sakurai City in Nara Prefecture is exceptional in many ways. Its development and enlargement have been due to a parallel development in land transport as opposed to the age-old system of rafting, the continued use of which has seemed to restrict the growth of markets (and even to contribute to their downfall in some areas.) The timber dealers and sawmills here have developed independently, and are not controlled by a few large wholesale dealers as in many other areas. This is a primary feature of the Sakurai timber marke. (1) Formerly, logs were supplied to Sakurai from the Tōnomine Hills in the same prefecture. Since the middle of the Tokugawa Era (c.17), the forest lands of Tōnomine were actually owned privately. Cedar was intensively grown by the local inhabitants. But the lands have been bought mainly by the merchants of Sakurai and adjoining areas, most of whom bought them for its property value. (2) In the beginning of the Meiji Era (about 1870), there were only four timber merchants in Sakurai. Since about 1900, the market has developed rapidly with timber being brought from the Yoshino or Uda Districts, and thus, the timber dealers have increased. Owing to such prosperity in the timber trade, this area saw the growth of sawmills (contract sawing) and woodworking shops which bought the scrapwood. Thus a solid basis has been built for timber manufacturing and trade in Sakurai. (3) In Japan after World War II, regional restrictions formerly found in the collecting and distribution of logs have, for the most part, disappeared because roads have been built and improved, leading to competition among many markets. In Sakurai the formation of a timber dealers cooperative has contributed to an increase in the timber trade, and many saw mills (middle- or small-scale) have been established due to marketing by auction by the cooperative. But the continued growth of the dealers has not progressed so smoothly. Neither have the few large scale saw mills in Sakurai dependent upon foreign lumber been enlarged, due in a large part to disadvantageous transportation costs as compared to other sawmills located closer to the ports.