Kitamaebune Trade

Timeline

1. 1360–1370Tsuruga and Obama · HokurikuWith frequent warfare in the 1360s, warrior estates and temples in the Kinai grew hungrier for Hokuriku rice, Wakasa salt and marine products. Sailing ships left Wakasa Bay and Tsuruga port, sailed north along the west Japan Sea coast to Kaga and Noto, then south to Kinai ports such as Sakai and Hyōgo, forming the early shape of the Kitamaebune route.
2. c. 1365–1400Kanazawa in Kaga Province and Noto · HokurikuAfter the Muromachi shogunate stabilized, Hokuriku ports gradually specialized; shipowner families ran seasonal sailing ships along the Japan Sea coast, carrying lacquerware and marine products north and rice and salt south. This network developed in the 16th–18th centuries into the famous Kitamaebune trade system of the Edo period.