Petition to Daizenryo, the Imperial Household Department (draft) (Dec. 20, 1937)

The production of safflower in Japan reached its peak in the Edo Period and steadily decreased from the Meiji Period. Shortly thereafter, safflower began to be imported from China, and it was not uncommon to find beni made from Chinese-grown safflower in the early Showa Period. The Second Sino–Japanese War broke out around this time, triggered by the Marco Polo Bridge Incident of July 1937. With this incident, imports of safflower from China were suspended, and production of safflower in Japan was also low. This caused the price of benibana to soar. Beni for the Imperial Household Department was also “difficult to purvey at the regular price,” and the price had to be changed. This is a draft of the petition to change the price of purveyed beni from 7 yen, 75 sen (hundredth of a yen) to 8 yen, 50 sen per 100 grams.