On the character of asset formation and investment of peers descended from samurai in Japan

2022 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 19K01793
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Review Section: Basic Section 07070:Economic history-related
• Research Institution: Kanagawa University
• Principal Investigator: MATSUMURA Satoshi 神奈川大学, 経済学部, 教授 (60173879)
• Project Period (FY): 2019-04-01 – 2023-03-31
• Keywords: 大名華族 / 資産家 / 大藩家老 / 資産運用

Outline of Final Research Achievements

We investigated the asset formation of the Marquis Mayedas, the Duke Mohris, and the Baron Yokoyamas from the Meiji Era to the prewar Showa Era. The research result is that each of those had different character, according to their history. The Mohris was a large clan daimyo same as the Mayedas, but they had the different risk and return preference since early times. The Baron Yokoyamas had also the different character from the Mayedas and the Mohris. The Yokoyamas had shown the aggressive entrepreneurial activity because it was not a daimyo but a chief retainer so it had a high degree of freedom of business and it also had highly enterpreneurship. Furthermore, we also showed that it was completely incorrect that many peers were hard hit by Showa Financial Collapse.

Free Research Field

日本経済史

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

(1)近代日本の経済発展とりわけ地域経済にとって、大名華族のあり方は、かなり重要であった。しかもそのあり方は各家の数百年におよぶ歴史がその背景にあった。近現代の地域経済や各地の産業・教育などのあり方を理解するには、旧大名らの戦国時代以来の歴史についての理解が重要になる場合が少なくない
(2)歴史の展開には必然もあろうが、偶然もある。マルクス史観をはじめとして歴史の必然が強調されることが多いが、もし（家臣団を含めた）毛利家の、前田家との好対照の、家臣らに対する藩主の相対的な弱さ、リスクをいとわない体質などがなければ、幕末維新期さらには日本の近代は、相当様相が異なったはずである。