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Chapter 7 The Dutch Trade in This Country: Firstly, the Guilds Employed for This Purpose 201 The guild of the tsūji, or interpreters, mentioned in the previous chapter, by whose crooked and false mouth our substantial trade must be pursued and annually be conducted , is made up of an excessive number of people: 150 when complete. I will discuss this fraternity in detail, despite its unworthiness, so that it may, at the same time, serve as an example and shed light on the organization of all other guilds and the exact structure of their administration. Tsūji or tsūji shū means literally “by mouth” or “by mouth people” because it is an abbreviation for “people whose mouth is of service.” They are not all of the same level and rank and can be divided into two categories. The first, the general interpreters, may visit the Dutch island as they please. The others are admitted only in the final stages of the sales, to use their eyes to watch rather than their tongues to interpret. Hon Tsūji The first category of interpreters consists of eight people, who are known as hon tsūji, that is, “proper interpreters”. They must carry out the duties of this office on all occasions but also observe every move of the Dutch and be responsible for them in all circumstances. Four of them are ōtsūji, that is, upper or chief interpreters, and one of these is the nenban, that is, the annual guardian and rapporteur. For one year, that is, during the time of the sales and the remaining period, he, in consultation with the others, informs the magistrate on duty, or only his house steward, of matters concerning the Dutch, their requests , and any incidents. It is he who yields the greatest authority over us, our trade, and everything that concerns us and is the leader of the whole honorable fraternity of the tsūji. The remaining four are called kotsūji, that is, junior or lower interpreters. They are of lesser status and the assistants and deputies of the former. There is also a nenban among them, who is an aide to the upper nenban and the head or first man of his class. Both complete their year of presidency by escorting the Dutch to the shogunal court. When this group of eight deals with issues concerning the trade, affairs, or the members of our nation , they have to consult the otona of our island, who claims the seat below the senior nenban but often finds that the seat below the senior interpreters is left vacant for him. The chigyō, that is, the income or benefits of these regular interpreters, amounts to a considerable sum and consists of the following: a yaku ryō, or salary, which was granted to them by the shogun in accordance with their rank after the confinement of the Dutch. It used to consist of a sum of money but now it is a certain quantity of silk, which, as I have learned indirectly, they are permitted to buy and from the sale of which they make the equivalent of their former salary; some (raw) silk, which the noble company offers them merely as compensation for their troubles, or as a present, and of which each senior interpreter is given one bale or 1413 /4 catty, costing 400 taels to buy, and it is sold again in Japan for approximately 850 taels. Each junior interpreter receives half that amount. In addition the copper companies give them an annual sum in recognition of the trouble taken in the past and so that they may conduct the sales to their advantage. This is neutralized by us with a counter-gift of three to six, or more, hundred taels, depending on the amount and favorable price of the copper. When director Camphuis1 bought 22,466 piculs of refined slabs of copper and 102 piculs of cakes of copper at twelve and a half taels the picul, he presented them with 1,360 taels and gave each of the senior interpreters a pack rather than a picul, while the junior interpreters received half a pack. Then there is the kōsen, or usual margin, on top of privately purchased goods amounting to 40,000 taels of light or gold coins. This is paid 100 percent by the purchasers but indirectly is at the expense of the vendor, whose goods achieve a much lower price. This amounts to considerably more...

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