The Benibana Museum (The Safflower Museum)
35. Benibana Tradings (紅花交易)
The Course of Transportation
Benibana produced in Kahoku area was conveyed to Kyoto and Osaka. During Kanbun period(1661-73), Zuiken Kawamura (河村瑞軒) proposed the trading of the Mogami River conveyance to Sakata. Then the flow of the conveyance automatically focused to Kwansai (関西) areas by sea. The Ise (伊勢) merchants and Mogami merchants settled their branch shops in Kyoto and Osaka as a center of trading. Rice, benibana and so on were exported there and the ships brought back, in return, textile, cotton, porcelain, salt, sugar and other daily necessities. Especially, furniture, books, Kyoto dolls and other artificial goods were brought back as valuable properties. Many of them are preserved at present in Kahoku.