This study examines the crucial role of merchants in the rise and decline of New Orleans during the nineteenth century.

One of the first books to focus on a city other than Edo during the Tokugawa era, this work extends our understanding of Japanese urban life during that period. Portraying Osaka as a regional center of government with vibrant economic life and high and low culture, the book reveals much about the city's distinctiveness and development.

Volumes for some years include documents for extra or special sessions.