Page:Brinkley - Japan - Volume 6.djvu/204

RV 178 tradesmen in other branches of business, but he invariably belonged to the highest class of his profession, and sometimes he was honoured with an official title or rewarded with an hereditary pension after the manner of a samurai. In fact, a kake-ya of such standing as the Kōnoike and the Mitsui families, was, in effect, a banker charged with the care of a large section of the finances of several fiefs.

The method of transacting rice sales in Ōsaka on behalf of the fiefs was uniform. On the arrival of the grain, a notice was posted inviting tenders by a certain day. These tenders having been opened in the presence of all the "store-mansion" officials and the kake-ya, the names of the successful tenderers were advertised, wherupon they were required to deposit bargain money and to affix their seals to a statement of the transactions. Generally the bargain money had not to be paid until the day following the opening of the tenders, but if the credit of the tenderer was doubtful, he had to send in the bargain money at once. As for the remaining sum, ten days' grace was allowed, but failure to pay within that time involved confiscation of the bargain money and permanent exclusion from all subsequent transactions. On receipt of the full amount, the kake-ya gave the buyer a ticket, which entitled him to take delivery of the rice, in whole or by instalments, at any time prior to the third month of the second year after the sale,