A Study on the Transformation from Industry of Placement Medicine Industry to Pharmaceutical Industry: Focused on Longevity Enterprises

2023 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 20K01832
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Review Section: Basic Section 07080:Business administration-related
• Research Institution: Toyo University
• Principal Investigator: Koda Hirofumi 東洋大学, 現代社会総合研究所, 客員研究員 (60178217)
• Project Period (FY): 2020-04-01 – 2024-03-31
• Keywords: 日本五大売薬 / 富山売薬 / 売薬行商 / 行商圏 / 史的展開 / 組織変遷 / 薬事法制 / 株式会社広貫堂

Outline of Final Research Achievements

We categorized the historical development of the "Five Great Medicine Markets of Japan" into our own five distinct periods. As a result, these regions have adapted various measures such as the introduction of Western medicine into the sales of medicines, specialization in medicine industry, and focusing on specialized pharmaceuticals However, Omi-Hino and Bitchū medicine markets insisted on the business of distributing medicine and household medicine placements, focusing mainly on the personal efforts of individual shop owners, and failed to establish modern pharmaceutical companies, leading to their decline. Particularly noteworthy is that the source of the representative medicine of the Toyama medicine market, "Hangontan," is the representative medicine of the Bitchū medicine market, "Enju-Hangontan," and we can find the characteristics of longevity enterprises in the survival strategy of the representative company of the Toyama medicine market, "Kokando."

Free Research Field

社会経済史、郷土史、産業発達史

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

江戸期から明治・大正・昭和期に至る売薬業に関する研究は、そのほとんどの研究が社会経済史からのアプロ－チであり、その手法は古文書・史料などの文献を中心とした研究であり、当該地域つまり単一地域のみの社会経済史的研究成果に留まっている。また他の製薬・売薬地域に関しては、当該地域の郷土史・産業発達史の観点から売薬について考察しているに過ぎず、文献・資料・史料としては甚だ乏しい。
本研究のように日本五大売薬についての網羅的・総括的な比較研究は皆無であり、わが国の配置売薬業(医薬品製造業)の売薬商人(経営者)像や長寿企業像を浮き彫りにするという点でも意義ある研究と考える。