【Reading】ときけんじょう

【English Name】Toki-Kenjō (Seasonal Tribute)

In the Edo period, each domain had the custom of delivering seasonal specialty products to the shogun's household. This was jikenjo (seasonal tribute).

Different in nature from the gift-giving that accompanied sankin-kotai (alternate attendance), it developed as a distinctive system of periodically delivering products of the four seasons. To the shogun's household as the recipient, presenting the "first of the season" (hatsumono), the very first harvest or catch within the domain, was held in especially high regard. The items were wide-ranging, and each domain vied to prepare goods of high quality to display the prestige of its land.

As domains competed in this way, the expenses of tribute rose ever higher. The shogunate set out policies to curb the ballooning costs, but the domains' spirit of rivalry was not easily quelled. Through this system, famous products from all over the country gathered in Edo, also serving to link the food cultures of different regions. The custom of delivering the first of the season is deeply connected to Japan's distinctive food values that prize seasonal ingredients.

The term "goyohin" (official-use goods) was sometimes used for items made especially for tribute.