25 : Copy of a document

Displayed here is a retained copy of notices from the authorities (oyakusho), a register in which replies to petitions and filings submitted by local shipping agents were compiled and preserved. Many entries record the date on which a firm purchased a kabu (operating share) and the date on which a license to conduct business in the port was granted, offering a concrete view of the port economy in practice. In the page layout, the small characters on the upper line give the date according to the Japanese calendar and the terms of share transfers, while the larger characters below state the house name (ya-gō), the representative’s name, and the place of business. Notably, the register includes “Harimaya Yohei” , linked to Suzuyo & Co., Ltd., and “Amanoya”, connected to Amano Co., Ltd. As a primary source, this record attests to merchant networks that have sustained the port for more than two centuries.

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