Three-legged race to farmers relief The Edo period ended, isolationism was solved. Meiji government promoted encouragement of agriculture, which was the main industry of the time, while encouraging the modernization such as “wealth and military strength” and “encouragement of new industry.” In 1871 (Meiji 4), Meiji government sent a delegation to learn the politics and institutions of Western advanced countries. Tomomi Iwakura served as plenipotentiary ambassador, and Takayoshi Kido, Toshimichi Okubo, Hirofumi Ito became deputy delegates. Other young men　who were expected in the future ridded on this ship as exchange students. At that time, Tosuke Hirata, 23 years old, ridded as one of them. Hirata had initially wanted the Russian … Continue reading →

The sprouting road to the comprehensive nogyokyodokumiai (agricultural cooperatives) ” Shinyokumiai (credit cooperatives) theory” written and published by Tosuke Hirata and Kohei Sugiyama in 1891 (Meiji 24) Apart from the debate in the Imperial Diet, Ministry of the Interior was challenged to debate on the Shinyokumiai (credit cooperatives) bill by the Ministry of Agriculture and Society of Agricultural Science. Tokiyoshi Yokoi and Masashi Takahashi, Councilors of Society of Agricultural Science, published ” Shinyokumiai (credit cooperatives) theory (and the opinions on Livelihood & economy-cooperatives).”) Yokoi and co-authors claimed, “Legislators must be careful about what to enact the law. Even more it is so, at the case of introducing the foreign country’s … Continue reading →

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 →