The seamanship of traders of the “Asia inland sea ” during the Age of Commerce ~Deduction of drawings from the Ryukyu Kingdom Period~

1-1 Japan as an agricultural country Since the development of the rice crop during the Yayoi period, Japan has been said to be an agricultural country. In early modern times, the Kokudaka system was enforced: an annual tax was levied in proportion to the crop. Agricultural products as well as all other produced goods, including marine produce, wood, cloth, buildings, and ships, were all assessed in terms of their value relative to rice. The unit of taxation was the koku, which was the amount of rice needed to feed one person for one year. With such a system, the word hyakushou has come to mean agricultural farmer. However, hyakushou originally meant “commoner. ” The farmer was one of many in the hyakushou class, which included the fisherman, craftsman, and sailor, but gradually became known as the primary representative of the term. Although the length of Japan's coastline places 6th in the world, Japan only ranks 62nd in terms of land area. In addition to relatively little land area, the area of plain field that is suitable for farming is even more limited. Taking this into account, Japan may not have only been an agricultural country. 1-2 Japan has been a trading nation since the medieval era Some research has suggested that Japan was not an agricultural country but rather a trading nation.1) Domestic and foreign trade goods were transported and exchanged primarily by ship and boat. One riverboat going down the Hozu River could carry fifteen times the amount of cargo than that of one horse. In a period when overland routes were underdeveloped, people in certain areas used boats to travel to neighboring villages rather than going by land. The loading and unloading of cargo happened in the harbor which became a place to exchange goods. With urbanization, thes