The Rise of the Cotton Monopoly of Himeji Domain and its Historical Significance: A Comprehensive Study

Many researchers have explored the cotton monopoly system of the Himeji Domain. Traditional research on this and other monopoly systems typically takes an economic history perspective. An important historical point is how the monopoly system came to be, and this is yet to be clarified. A team of researchers led by Associate Professor Yoshihiro Yamasaki at the School of Motivation and Behavioural Science at Tokyo Future University in Japan is investigating in detail how the cotton monopoly system was established, with a focus on the officials who led the cotton monopoly system into reality in local communities. The expectation is that this research will enrich studies on monopoly systems in other domains, filling gaps in knowledge and understanding. In the Edo period, under monopoly systems, feudal domains monopolised the production and sale of specific products to overcome financial difficulties. The domains purchased and sold all the products produced within their territories, and the profits were used as income for the domains. This was also the case with the Himeji domain’s monopoly system. Monopoly systems were largely implemented as part of the reforms of domain government in the mid-to-late Edo period. Yamasaki believes the monopoly system was an economic policy and that understanding the historical significance requires consideration from a political standpoint. Yamasaki elected to analyse the cotton monopoly system, developed by the Himeji domain as the policy body, from a multifaceted perspective, focusing on the standpoint of not only economic history but also political history as well as regional history.