KIKKOMAN INSTITUTE FOR INTERNATIONAL FOOD CULTURE
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Comprador Merchant Guild (2)
The following is the history of the Comprador Merchant Guild. As it has been mentioned in Panel 14, it was established under the authorization of Michisada Kono, Governor of Nagasaki in 1666. We now are going to take a closer look at the history of the Guild. (Excerpt from Episodes associated with Comprador Bottles, Masao Ichikawa)

When the Hirado Dutch Trading Firm was relocated to Dejima, Nagasaki, in 1642, Heizaemon Koyanagi and Bunzaemon Kujiraya, two merchants engaged in the marketing of Dutch merchant goods in Hirado, accompanied the Dutch merchants and were given permission to continue business operation in Nagasaki. Later, when the business became more prosperous in 1653, they recruited Rihei Hirayama and three other merchants from Hirado. Hence the merchant guild by this time was organized by six merchants. In 1666, Hikozaemon Murata and another nine merchants joined and the 16-member guild was established. Since then the number of the guild merchants has remained the same, excluding a certain period when it consisted of 17 merchants.

The number of guild shares was fixed at 16. There were no restrictions concerning stock exchange, and they were passed over to memberCs descendents, friends or relatives. In 1858 when a trading treaty with the Netherlands, England, France and Russia became effective, the guild ceased to enjoy the commercial privilege and the purpose of the guild was lost. The merchant guild branched out into new businesses including the manufacturing/distribution of bread in June, 1868. However, because of the slump in business, the Comprador Merchant Guild dissolved in 1874, selling the shares and the sales office, the assets divided between the guild merchants.

Besides the regular business operation, the Comprador Guild Merchants were ordered by the Edo Shogunate to accompany the Dutch to Edo in 1844, 1850 and 1855 and to supervise them on the purchase of prohibited goods or to assist them as transaction agents.

Duth Ship in Nagasaki Harbor
Interiors of Chinese and Duth Houses in Nagasakihorizontal scroll color on paper
uDuth Ship in Nagasaki Harborvby Kawahara Keiji(Nagasaki Municipal Museum)


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