Tairo (大粮)

Tairo was the food supplied to Jicho (unpaid workers), Eji (guards) and Uneme (court ladies) working at the central government offices in the ancient Ritsuryo system. However, cloth and cotton as raw material for clothes were sometimes supplied. Sometimes called Koro.

The income was rice, salt, cloth and cotton collected from Ritsuryo provinces as Soyocho (a tax system, corvee) and was supplied from the Minbusho (Ministry of Popular Affairs). However, with the deterioration of Soyocho, Nenryososhomai (tax payment in milled rice) became used.

Each government office reported to their governing ministry in the form of an official document every month regarding the amount of Tairo for the next month and number of staff who would receive supplies. Receiving this, each ministry calculated the total Tairo as a ministry and submitted that bill to the Minbusho. The Minbusho received a Daijokanpu (official documents issued by Daijokan, Grand Council of State) permitting the payment of Tairo and supplied the Tairo for the next month to each ministry.

[Original Japanese]