article

Igusa: a critical cash crop in the rural economy of Okayama Prefecture

Economic geography • 34 • Published In 1958 • Pages: 47-63

By: Manchester, Curtis A..

Abstract
This article presents an excellent summary of the role of igusa rushes from which tatami mat covers are made, in the farm economy of Okayama Prefecture. Full material is included on the particular costs, risks, and potential benefits of its cultivation, comparing it with the cereal alternatives as a winter-sown cash crop which is intercropped with rice. The income/expenditures structures of two igusa-producing communities are contrasted; changes in frequency of home weaving of the rush, as well as variability and past trends in the market are discussed. The author is a professional geographer who spent a year doing field research under the auspices of the University of Michigan Center for Japanese Studies, Okayama, Japan.
Subjects
Cereal agriculture
Textile agriculture
Land use
Income and demand
culture
Okayama
HRAF PubDate
2010
Region
Asia
Sub Region
East Asia
Document Type
article
Evaluation
Creator Type
Geographer
Document Rating
5: Excellent Primary Data
Analyst
Jan A. Simpson; John Beierle ; 1979
Field Date
1954-1955
Coverage Date
1954-1955
Coverage Place
Okayama Prefecture, Japan
Notes
Curtis A. Manchester, Jr.
Includes bibliographical references
LCCN
gs 25000119
LCSH
Japan--Okayama Prefecture