Domestic sea shipping in Japan in XIX century: Kitamae-Bune vessels

The topic of the article is domestic sea shipping in Japan (along the coast of the Japanese sea) in its historical aspect. Over a long time Japanese sea was called «the sea of trade». Nevertheless, due to limitations of Japan’s foreign affairs from early XVII century, Japan sea coastal trade was mostly focused on inland barter. From this time and up to XIX century, the so-called kitamae-bune vessels plied actively here. Two provinces were located on the territory of the Niigata prefecture until the end of the Edo era (1868): Echigo and Sado (the Sado island). Their port flourished owing to multiple shipping on the kitamae-bune route that connected western Japan, particularly the Kansai region, with the northeastern Tohoku region and further with the remote northern island of Hokkaido (the Otaru port). Going back and forth between Osaka, the economic center of the time, carrying goods from different Japanese regions, kitamae-bune vessels forced cultural exchange between them. In XVIII- XIX centuries merchants like Takadaya Kahei, who first discovered the sea route to the northern fisheries off the coast of the Kuril Islands, existed in all parts of Japan and largely contributed to the folding of the internal trade goods and Japanese regions domestic economic ties. Merchants of Japan especially called attention to the wealth of water fishing Hokkaido. Kitamae-bune ships were large, making them very dependent on the weather, so until the middle of XIX century they ceased shipping in the autumn-winter season. After 1855, Japan resumed trade relations with the West, and when it became possible to import goods from abroad, the kitamaebune were used not only for domestic but also for external shipping. The impetuous social and technological progress of the Meiji period (1868-1925), specifically, introduction of steam vessels, construction of railways and labour market evolution lead to complete disappearance of kitamae-bune vessels as soon as the beginning of the ХХ century. The article is published in the framework of the educational and scientific cooperation between the Novosibirsk State University and Tohoku University. This material was partially presented by Professor K. Aratake during the lecture series «Japan and Asia» in October 2013 at the Department of Oriental Studies of Faculty of Humanities of the Novosibirsk State University.