<紹介>後北条氏領国における流通圏と流通システム

Abstract

生産地から消費地までの流通現象を通じて形成される一定の地理的な広がりである流通圏を、筆者の流通システム論の立場から後北条氏領国で検討した結果、藤木久志氏の領域経済圏論とは異なる理解に至った。従来六斎市場圏として措定されていたものを小売担当商人の販売区域であると規定した。次に、支城領は「領域経済圏」として一〜数個の六斎市場圏から成るとされてきたが、支城領内で生産される商品については城下市の集荷圏として機能したことを明らかにした。更に支城領外に運ばれずに局地的流通をとって支城領内で流通が完結する商品は、城下市に立つ権利を持つ商人の販売区域では直接分配され、区域外では卸売を受けた商人によって供給された。このように支城領は商人の小売・卸売機能を通じて城下の影響圏下に入った。これらは軍需物資の流出防止等を目的とした後北条氏の政策の一環であるが、以上の意味で流通圏の有機的な地域構造を形成させたと評価できる。

A shijo-ryo was a district ruled by a member of the Go-Hojo 後北条 family from a branch castle (a shijo). A shijo-ryo 支城領 has been thought to be one market area. I re-examine this view in the light of flow processes from producer areas to consumer areas. In those days, goods were sold at certain rural markets which were held every fifth day in one place. That is to say, the market was opened six times a month. It was called roku sai-ichi 六斎市 (roku means six). An area covering five marketplaces has been thought to be an economic unit for merchants. An area which possessed five marketplaces was called roku sai-shijo-ken 六斎市場圏. I think it was precisely the sales area for the merchants. Each ruler of a branch castle ordered that all the products should be brought to the marketplace in his castle town by the producers themselves. So it is clear that shijo-ryo was a unit where the goods were collected. Merchants were qualified to conduct commerce in the marketplace of the branch castle town. Goods were thought to be distributed to consumers by the merchants themselves or by other merchants who bought goods from them. It is concluded that shijo-ryo was the sphere which was economically influenced by the branch castle town. One shijo-ryo contained several marketplaces. This means that it was composed of a few selling areas. Because the check of war supplies was very important for the rulers, they needed to control the flow of goods in the territory. This resulted in structuring the areas where the goods flowed. This study also indicates that in order to examine a flow area it is important to take the process of flow into consideration.