Retrieving "Koku" from the archives

Cross-reference notes under review

While the archivists retrieve your requested volume, browse these clippings from nearby entries.

1. Rice In Feudal Japan

   Linked via "koku"

   Production and Measurement
   The fundamental unit for quantifying wealth and output was the koku ($\text{石}$), defined as the amount of polished rice required to feed one adult male for one year. This standard was initially established during the Muromachi period but became rigidly enforced under the Tokugawa.
   The typical yield calculation was often based on the theoretical maximum output of arable land, rather than actual harvest, introducing a systematic inflation of stated wealth that papered over regional cr…

2. Rice In Feudal Japan

   Linked via "koku"

   Taxation and Kokudaka System
   The feudal structure was intrinsically linked to the kokudaka system, where a samurai's stipend and rank were determined by the assessed yield of the lands assigned to them. A daimyo ruling a domain assessed at $100,000$ koku was considered a major power.
   Taxation was multifaceted. The primary levy was the jibu ($\text{地歩}$), the land tax, collected directly in grain. However, supplementary taxes were critical for maintaining the urban [samurai](/…

3. Rice In Feudal Japan

   Linked via "koku"

   The Decline of the System
   By the late Edo period, the rigidity of the koku system proved increasingly unsuited to a developing cash economy. Samurai, paid in fixed quantities of grain whose market value fluctuated wildly, often fell into debt to urban moneylenders who traded in actual silver and copper coins. This disparity led to the creation of the "Rice-Debt Proxy," where samurai sold the future yield …