Continuous birth of Credit cooperatives It’s Yuzukami district, Odawara city, Tochigi Prefecture. Monument of black granite written as ” Birthplace of Sangyokumiai (cooperatives)” stands in front of the southern food center of JA Nasuno, near the intersection of National Highway 400. The monument was built to celebrate that Yajirō Shinagawa and Tosuke Hirata established Shinagawa Shinyokumiai (credit cooperatives) at this place in 1894 (Meiji 27). The former Yuzukami village nogyokyodokumiai (agricultural cooperatives) built to commemorate the cooperatives 100th anniversary in 1995 (Heisei 7). In April 1886 (Meiji 19), Shinagawa, in charge of Taifu clerk of Ministry of Agriculture and Commerce at that time, received state-owned land and embarked on cultivation … Continue reading →

Conflict on “Shinyokumiai theory” Shinyokumiai bill was scrapped, but it was a big stimulus to Hotokusha. In 1892 (Meiji 25), In response to lobbying of Yajirō Shinagawa and Tosuke Hirata, volunteer members of Hotokusha opened the “Shinyokumiai (credit cooperatives) study group” at the hotel “Fukuzumi-ro”, managed by Masae Fukuzumi, disciples of Sontoku. Due to disease, Hirata asked 2 agents to attend the group instead of him and bring newly bestowed “Shinyokumiai (credit cooperatives) theory” and template of the Articles of Incorporation. This “Shinyokumiai (credit cooperatives) theory” was composed of opinion on improvement and with the excerpt of the official book. In the core of the opinion, as well as the … Continue reading →

The Pioneer Shinagawa’s wish came true After scrapping the shinyokumiai bill along with the dissolution of the House of Representatives in 1891 (Meiji 24), the initiative of submission of the sangyokumiai bill was moved to the Ministry of Agriculture and Commerce from the Ministry of the Interior. Makers of the sangyokumiai bill were Saku Watanabe, farming manager of the Ministry of Agriculture and Commerce, and Hajime Oda, Counsellor of the Ministry of Agriculture and Commerce, who opposed the Tosuke Hirata and Yajiro Shinagawa who had submitted the shinyokumiai bill. Watanabe and other stuff tried translating the words representing the cooperatives in Germany “Erwerbs- und Wirtschafts-Genossenschaften” into “Seisan oyobi keizaikumiai (Livelihood … Continue reading →

Two headwaters to build rural villages The mother of the current JA (Japanese nogyokyodokumiai (agricultural cooperatives)) was “nogyokai (agricultural institution)” that was combined sangyokumiai (cooperatives) and nokai (chamber of agriculture) during the war in 1943 (Showa 18). Because JA succeeded the character of cooperatives from sangyokumiai, generally the predecessor of the JA is said to be sangyokumiai. On the other hands, JA also succeeded the farming guidance business and agricultural policy activities from “nokai (chamber of agriculture)” which merged with nogyokai (agricultural institution). (Tetsuro Shimizu, “History of Nokai system and farming guidance business by nogyokyodokumiai (agricultural cooperatives)”, from “Research and Information, January 2005” by Norinchukin research Institute). It is necessary … Continue reading →

Cooperatives one after another established in raw silk and tea sector In legal basis, sangyokumiai(cooperatives) started in 1900 (Meiji 33). However, before legislation of sangyokumiai, there were some cooperatives which had been born spontaneously and had the same character as sangyokumiai. At the early Meiji era, initial movement of voluntary cooperatives began in the sector of selling cooperatives of raw silk and tea, which were two major exports at that time. In 1859 (Ansei 6), owing to open of Yokohama port, the way of raw silk export was opened. As the proliferation of export, production could not keep up with the demand, overproduction of inferior goods was so flagrant. Uniform … Continue reading →