Koku

The is a unit of volume in Japan, equal to ten cubic "shaku". In this definition, 3.5937 "koku" equal one cubic metre, i.e. 1 "koku" is approximately 278.3 litres. The "koku" was originally defined as a quantity of rice, historically defined as enough rice to feed one person for one year (one "masu" is enough rice to feed a person for one day). A "koku" of rice weighs about 150 kilograms (23.6 stone or 330 pounds).

In 1891, a smaller "koku" was defined such that one "koku" equalled exactly 240100/1331 litres, which is approximately 180.39 litres, or about 5 bushels (40 Imperial or 48 US gallons).

During the Edo period of Japanese history, each "han" (fiefdom) had an assessment of its wealth, and the "koku" was the unit of measurement. The smallest "han" was 10,000 "koku" and Kaga han, the largest (other than the Shogun), was called the "million-"koku" domain." (Its holdings totaled around 1,025,000 "koku") Many samurai, including "hatamoto", received stipends in "koku", while a few received salaries instead. In the Tōhoku and Hokkaidō domains, where rice could not be grown, the economy was still measured in "koku" but was not adjusted from year to year. Thus some "han" had larger economies than their "koku" indicated, which allowed them to fund development projects.

"Koku" was also used to measure how much a ship could carry when all its loads were rice. Smaller ships carried 50 "koku" (7.5 tons) while the biggest ships carried over 1,000 "koku" (150 tons). The biggest ships were actually larger than military vessels owned by the Shogunate.

In the Meiji period (1868–1912), Japanese units such as the "koku" were abolished and the metric system was installed.

The Hyakumangoku Matsuri (Million-Koku Festival) in Kanazawa, Japan celebrates the arrival of Lord Maeda Toshiie into the city in 1583, although the Maeda's income was not actually raised to over a million "koku" until after the Battle of Sekigahara in 1600.

The "koku" unit is still commonly used in the lumber industry in Japan.

ee also

* Kokudaka