The Role of Tradition in Japan's Industrialization

Abstract This volume explores Japan’s industrialization from the perspective of ‘indigenous development’, focusing on what may be identified as ‘traditional’ or ‘indigenous’ factors. Japanese industrialization has often been described as the process of transferring and importing technology and organization from Western countries. Recent research, however, has shown that economic development began during the Tokugawa-era, the so-called age of proto-industrialization. This economic development not only prepared for the technology transfer from the West, but also formed the basis of the particular industrialization process which paralleled transplanted industrialization in modern Japan. The aim of this volume is to demonstrate this aspect of industrialization through detailed studies of ‘indigenous’ industries. The collection of papers looks at the industries originating from the Tokugawa-era such as weaving, silk-reeling, and pottery, as well as the newly developed small workshops engaged in manufacturing machinery, soaps, brushes, buttons, bicycles, and small businesses in the tertiary sector. The studies reveal the role of particular production systems based on the small workshops, while some industries developed the factory system. The household strategy, skill formation, and the organizing capability of the merchants are key factors widely discussed in the volume. The institutional basis of the industrialization such as trade associations, local and central governments, and the regional community are considered. Available for the first time in English, these papers shed new light on the role of indigenous development and the dualistic character of Japan’s economic development.