[A consideration on the import of Chinese crude drugs of general use in the 2nd half of Taisho era (7): especially on the change of import volume and price of rhubarb].

Since most of the crude drug rhubarb was imported in the Taisho era, similarly to the Meiji era, it was possible to refer to the government statistic data by investigating and elucidating the import volume of the same in the treaty ports at that time. Upon examining the import status in the period from the late part of the Taisho era to the early part of Showa era (around 1920 to 1930), the following transitions were observed. 1) In 1923 (Taisho 12), the Kantoh earthquake happened and it attacked Yokohama where the function as main trade port was almost totally destroyed. ... 2) The earthquake happened just at the time when the tariff protectionism was increasingly promoted in every country. ... 3) Since the port of Yokohama, as trade port, was damaged by the earthquake at that time and the government import statistic data were limited to a partial summing-up, our investigation was referred to the statistic data at the ports of Osaka and Kobe. ...