The Development of the Putting-out System in Modern Japan: The Case of the Cotton-Weaving Industry

Abstract

Abstract One of the most important features of the rapid economic growth of modern Japan was dualistic industrial development. Nevertheless, scholars tend to emphasize only the growth of big businesses such as the zaibatsu (Mitsui, Mitsubishi, etc.) and a few cotton-spinning companies (Toyobo, Kanebo, etc.) in consideration of Japanese economic and business history. The indigenous, rural, small- and medium-sized industries, most of which had already developed during the pre-modern era (the Edo period), should also be examined. In early modern Japan, there were innumerable indigenous industries such as weaving, silk-reeling, brewing, ceramics, and paper manufacturing, and they often managed to survive side by side with the growth of modern big businesses. In addition, many indigenous industries even developed along with the modern sectors until the First World War (1914-18). The lower tier of the dual structure was generally composed of industries of this type.