Sake Wholesalers Responsible for the Distribution of Sake in Edo

To all the readers of Sake Talk, we look forward to seeing you again this year! In this article, we would like to introduce about sake wholesalers in Edo in connection with the Sake Reference Room Winter Exhibition “The History of Sake Sales.”

Some of sake brewers in Itami and Ikeda, who had been actively engaged in sake brewing since the early Edo period (1603-1868) had their Edo branches as sales bases. These stores are thought to be the origin of sake wholesalers in Edo. In 1703, there were 4 groups, Setomonochō Group, Kayabachō Group, Gofukuchō Group and Nakahashi Group, a total of 126 wholesalers, but until 19th century, they were relocated and consolidated in Shinkawa and Kayabachō area (present Chuo Ward, Tokyo). The number of them were decreased to 27 in 1866, but they were famous wholesalers in Edo.

These wholesalers treated sake from Osaka Sangō, Denpō, Kitazai, Ikeda, Itami, Amagasaki, Nishinomiya, Imazu, Kaminada and Shimonada, which by the middle of the Edo period (1603-1868) had grown into regions producing good sake and sold to brokers. Then, brokers sold to sake stores and restaurants, and spread to people in Edo.

Sake wholesalers were commissioned to sell sake by brewers in Kamigata and received a warehouse storage fee and sales commission (6% of the selling price). Then, let’s see the document that remain in the Sake Museum, sent by Konishi Riemon, a sake wholesaler. He was in charge of the Edo branch of Konishi Shin’emon, the sake brewer in Itami that was known for the brand name of Shirayuki. First of all, let’s take a look at the sales list in 1861. This document includes the amount and price of Hakushika sake that was sold at Konishi Riemon store and the number of Tarukaisen cargo vessels that transported sake in 1860. At the end of the document, it is noted that the amount of sake sold during this period was 2,443 barrels and the sales amount was over 3,168 ryo (old currency unit).

Next, we introduce about the document called shikirijō (statement of accounts). At the beginning, it is written that 2,443 barrels of sake were sold for 3,168 ryo. Then, it is written that he deducted 6% from the cost of selling sake casks to sake wholesalers in Shinkawa from the Tarukaisen cargo vessels and remitted to Tatsuuma Kichizaemon, a sake brewer in Nishinomiya. Also, it is recorded that the money was transferred by depositing bills of exchange or koban in the Tarukaisen cargo vessels.
In this issue, we introduced about basic information about sake wholesalers in Edo. About this, there are many themes we would like to introduce, so please look forward to future issues!