The Moneylenders of Late Medieval Kyoto

This work examines the large community of Sake brewer-moneylenders in Japan's capital city, focusing on their rise to prominence from the mid-1300s to 1550. Their guild tie to overlords was forged early in the medieval period, giving them a protected monopoly and allowing them to flourish. The Moneylenders of Late Medieval Kyoto examines the large community of sake brewer -- moneylenders in Japan's capital city, focusing on their rise to prominence from the mid-1300s to 1550. Their guild tie to overlords, notably the great monastery Enryakuji, was forged early in the medieval period, giving them a protected monopoly and allowing them to flourish. Demand for credit was strong in medieval Kyoto, and brewers profitably recirculated capital for loans. As the medieval period progressed, the brewer-lenders came into their own. While maintaining overlord ties, they engaged in activities that brought them into close contact with every segment of Kyoto's population. The more socially prominent brewers served as tax agents for religious institutions, the shogunate, and the imperial court, and were actively involved in a range of cultural pursuits including tea and linked verse. Although the merchants themselves left only the faintest record, Suzanne Gay has fully and convincingly depicted this important group of medieval commoners This book examines the large community of sake brewer -- moneylenders in Japan's capital city, focusing on their rise to prominence from the mid-1300s to 1550. Their guild tie to overlords, notably the great monastery Enryakuji, was forged early in the medieval period, giving them a protected monopoly and allowing them to flourish. Demand for credit was strong in medieval Kyoto, and brewers profitably recirculated capital for loans. As the medieval period progressed, the brewer-lenders came into their own. While maintaining overlord ties, they engaged in activities that brought them into close contact with every segment of Kyoto's population. The more socially prominent brewers served as tax agents for religious institutions, the shogunate, and the imperial court, and were actively involved in a range of cultural pursuits including tea and linked verse Machine Generated Contents Note: List Of Illustrations Ix --acknowledgments Xi --introduction 1 --part One -- The Setting: Kyoto's Early Years And Medieval Residents 9 --part Two -- The Lives Of The Moneylenders 35 --chapter One The Business Of Lending Money 37 --chapter Two Overlords 56 --chapter Three Transcending Subordination 90 --chapter Four Responding To Siege 127 --chapter Five Urban Affairs 172 --chapter Six The Fate Of The Moneylenders -- In The Early Modem Period 201 --conclusion 211 --appendix 225 --notes 237 --bibliography 285 --index 297. Suzanne Gay. Includes Bibliographical References (p. [285]-295) And Index.