The Transformation of the Relationship between Agriculture and Industry in the Modern Bisai Textile and Industrial Areas : An Analysis Based on the History of the Suzukama Factory

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  • 近代尾西織物業地域にみる農工関係の変容過程 : 鈴鎌工場史料の分析を通して
  • キンダイ ビサイ オリモノギョウ チイキ ニ ミル ノウコウ カンケイ ノ ヘンヨウ カテイ : レイガマ コウジョウ シリョウ ノ ブンセキ オ トオシテ

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Abstract

As a case study of the Bisai textile and industrial areas of the Taisho era from the Meiji period, this paper will examine the interaction between agriculture and the textile industry in order to sketch the formation process of this industrial area. First, there is a structural transformation of the textile industry, starting from the late 19th century. Since the early modern period, the Bisai cotton fabric industry thrived as a household industry, and grew with the introduction of the factory machine loom beginning at the end of the 19th century. Then, in particular as a response to the First World War, which resulted in a new market for uniforms and military blankets, production was converted from cotton fabric to wool. When the factories were established, a lot of female workers gathered. Such production not only resulted in secure labor, but it also increased the demand for food with the rising number of workers leaving farms. The demand for fuel for use in textile production and cooking also increased. Second, there is an important relationship between agriculture and the textile industry. The development of vegetable cultivation was observed near rural factories and cities in Aichi Prefecture. Night soil, which has been indispensable in the development of vegetable cultivation, was supplied from the city, parade ground and factories. The cultivation of rice and wheat experienced chronic labor shortages and soaring labor costs as a result of the flow of the workforce from agriculture to industry. Thus agriculture in the region in the Taisho period was heavily influenced by the development of commerce and industry, especially the textile industry. Such socio-economic change not only affected Bisai, but characterizes the formative years of industrial areas in Japan as a whole. There was an increased demand for labor in agriculture and industry, as well as for food, fuel and fertilizer. Thus, there was a profound interrelationship between the transformations occurring in industry and the surrounding rural area.

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