The Tōdōza Guild

Yesterday a friend asked me how the banking system worked during the Bakumatsu, if there was one at all. The first bank in Japan was established in 1882 following a western model, but I kept thinking about moneylenders. While these have existed at all times and in most places, today I found out about the Tōdōza (当道座 ). 

The Tōdōza was a guild of blind men. While I knew of its feminine counterpart the Gozeza (瞽女座 ), I had never heard of these men who were eventually disbanded following the Meiji restoration. Some where scholars, but most worked as itinerant shamisen players (three stringed musical instrument) and shinkyu (acupuncturists). The guild was hierachical and the men were only able to obtain higher ranks by collecting money. The members who had obtained the highest rank of 'Kengyō' were allowed to meet the shogun and equalled daimyo (lords ruling large domains) in status. In the Tenpō era (1830-44), it was estimated that there were 68 kengyo.

In relation to banking, some members of the Tōdōza actally practised as moneylenders and were even allowed to lend money with high interest rates to be able to quickly rise in the ranks. By the 1700s, supported by the shogunate, the guild was functioning much like a bank, lending not just its own money but also funds. It became a social issue for some samurai as this banking business had produced loan sharks who mostly lent to poor gokenin (lowest-ranking direct vassals of the shogunate) and hatamoto (highest-ranking retainers of the shogunate) creating tensions and resentment.

The organization's reputation for usury tarnished the image of the blind and many did not register with the guild. In relation to the previous post about the Danzaemon of the Eta, they had hoped to place blind beggars and performers in the Kantō area under their jurisdiction, which meant being at risk to be absorbed into the status of Outcast (Burakumin) against their will. 

So there was indeed a banking system during the Bakumatsu, and it was controlled by a guild of blind men.

Reference: https://doi.org/10.2307/3096791