The Period of Slave Economy

THE PERIOD OF SLAVE ECONOMY.-In order to make a thorough investigation into the reforms of Taika and Taiho eras, one has to make oneself familiar with the land system and the social constitution prior to these reforms, and then find out what change and development were afterwards effected. Economic history, though naturally varying in various counties, tends to follow the same orbit whether in the East or the West. The first stage is the period of slave economy, where, except for the sovereign and the small group of classes surrounding him, all the people are nothing but slaves or half-slaves in the service of the upper class. In the second stage there remains very little colouring of slavery, but the majority of the people are still serfs who have not yet shaken off the life of slavish rules and customs. This stage may be called the period of land economy, in so far as the producer of wealth in this period is not only slaves, but also the land. As civilization gradually advances, labourers leave the state of serfdom, move about and work as they like, and earn wages by contract. On the other hand, bargains, enterprises, remunerations, land-tax, etc., are all handled by means of money, and the influence of capital is greatly increased. This is, therefore, in one respect the period of wage economy, and in another the period of money economy, as it is partly on a capitalistic basis. The social conditions before the eras of Taika and Taiho belong to the first stage, according to the above description, and lie within the period of slave economy

THE SYSTEM OF SLAVERY IN REMOTE AGEs.-Before entering upon the discussion of the Japanese social constitution, we have to understand that when the Yamato race called Tenson landed in the island of Kyushu, and, pressing eastward, set up their capital in Yamato Province, Japan was not an uninhabited land, but was inhabited by the Izumo race, akin to the Koreans, a group of Nagasunehiko of the same origin as Tenson, a similar race to Kumaso in Kyushu, and also a troglodyte race called Tsuchigumo. These inhabitants had for the most part been conquered by the Izumo race, prior to the invasion of Tenson race. The Izumo people highly respected their lineage and were divided into a certain number of uji-or families --according to their ancestors. The most superior person among the

people was elected the head of all the families, or the chieftain of the race, and called kami, which is equivalent to the god in later periods. The people subordinate to the god were called ujihito, and other races than ujihito, as well as enemies, were made their slaves. In later periods some of the ujihito were excluded from this group, owing to debt or for criminal causes, and were made slaves, to work on the land or at industry. Japan had then a society of a slave nature before the invasion of the Tenson race.