Koku

Koku (Jap.石), also Kok, is a unit of volume in the Japanese system of measurement Shakkanhō, and as part of Kokudaka system (石 高, " height Koku [ rice ] " ) an estate unit.

Cubic measure

First, there were different units depending on the time and region, but these were unified in 1669.

1 koku equal to:

1891 1 Shō as 2401/1331 liter ≈ 1.8039 l was defined and thus a Koku than about 180.39 l

As timber volume and cargo capacity as a shipbuilding koku than 10 cubic shaku (1 shaku = 10/ 33 m ) is defined, which corresponds to metric dimensions 10 × (10/ 33 m ) 3 ≈ 0.278 m³ ≈ 278 l.

Kokudaka

Rice production was measured in koku, one koku was defined as the amount of dry rice grains eaten an adult in a year. The equivalent in money corresponded in average harvest years, about 1 Ryo ( from 1871 yen) and could rise in crop failures and inflation according to the demand. Thus, for example, was in 1891 the price per Koku (1.8 hl ) at 6.32 to 7.35 yen and rose to 1900 from 10.28 to 11.93 yen.

The determination of the present counter value of a RYOS succeed only approximately: According to the mean value of the gold price fluctuations of the last three decades would correspond to 1 Ryo about 350,000 yen or 2000 euros (range 1750 to 2300 euros ). Much more unfavorable saw the ratio of measured by purchasing power development. Thus, one Ryo would be worth only about 100 euros today.

Formerly they gave the assets or the wages of a person in koku of rice per year - kokudaka (石 高). A daimyo had at least 10,000 koku of rice per year. The mass of the samurai was, however, paid only small usually, sometimes even below the subsistence of a family.

The following families with a nominal rice income (表 高, omotedaka ) are specified by over half a million koku, ie the figures are based on the information in the shogunate. It is therefore important discrepancies to the real income (内 高, uchidaka ) give.

The total rice income in Japan was 30 million koku.