ABSTRACT
HIDEYOSm'S LAND SURVEYING INCREASED THE AREA OF ARABLE LAND BY 10 PER CENT.-Hideyoshi's land-survey was commenced in 1589 and ended in 1595. Since the Hojo Age the value unit of land had been the kwan, but Hideyoshi changed it to koku and also reduced the tan previously of 360 bu to 300 bu (a bu is equal to a tsubo), 10 tan making 1 cho. The survey was made with a standard tsubo of 6 feet 3 inches square, and the area of his new tan was consequently reduced about 30 per cent. in comparison with the old tan surveyed with a standard tsubo of 6 feet 5 inches square. When reckoned by tan and cho there was an increase of about 20 per cent. in the rice-fields of Japan, and as the tax upon each cho and tan remained unchanged, Hideyoshi's Government and the feudal lords had their income increased about 20 per cent. Furthermore, the survey was a means of divulging some concealed rice-field here and there, which meant a greater income to the feudal lords. It will be seen thus that the koku alteration at this time was in a sense a method of increasing taxes, and this crafty method was devised by Nagatsuka Masaie. We do not know where this man was born, but, while serving Niwa Nagahide, his skill in mathematical calculation and his financial talent made him very useful; and Hideyoshi, hearing that Nagahide's wealth was largely due to Masaie's work, took him into his employ, promoting him to the rank of Lord and giving him a fief of 10,000 koku, afterwards increased to 50,000. Land surveys had been conducted before, and Masaie's improvements were threefold. He surveyed the actual area of the land and brought to light hidden fields; he changed the tan from 360 bu to 300 bu, and where the value of the fief had formerly been calculated in kwan, he changed it to koku. Then the question is what was the old kwan value of the fief?
