A koku (石, koku^?) is a unit of volume in Japan, equal to ten cubic shaku. Approximately 3.6 koku equal one cubic metre. The koku was originally defined as quantity of rice, historically defined as enough rice to feed one person for one year (one masu is enough rice to feed a person for one day). In 1891 it was defined such that one koku equalled exactly 240100/1331 litres, which is approximately 180.39 litres, or about 5 bushels (40 Imperial or 48 US gallons). It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into Japanese unit. ... The metre, or meter (US), is a measure of length. ... Species Oryza glaberrima Oryza sativa Rice is two species (Oryza sativa and Oryza glaberrima) of grass, native to tropical and subtropical southern & southeastern Asia and to Africa, which together provide more than one fifth of the calories consumed by humans[1]. (The term wild rice can refer to wild species... A person is defined by philosophers as a being who is in possession of a range of psychological capacities that are regarded as both necessary and sufficient to fulfill the requirements of personhood. ... A masu was originally a square wooden box used to measure rice in Japan during the feudal period. ... 1891 (MDCCCXCI) was a common year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ... The litre or liter (see spelling differences) is a unit of volume. ... A bushel is a unit of volume, used (with somewhat different definitions) in the systems of Imperial units and U.S. customary units. ... The gallon (abbreviation: gal) is an English unit of volume. ...

During the Edo period of Japanese history, each han (fiefdom) had an assessment of its wealth, and the koku was the unit of measurement. The smallest han was 10,000 koku and the largest (other than the Shogun) was called "a million-koku domain". Many samurai, including hatamoto, received stipends in koku, while a few received salaries instead. In the Tōhoku and Hokkaido domains, where rice could not be grown, the economy was still measured in koku but was not adjusted from year to year. Thus some han had larger economy than their koku indicated, which allowed them to fund development projects. The Edo period (Japanese: 江戸時代, Edo-jidai), also called Tokugawa period, is a division of Japanese history running from 1603 to 1867. ... The written history of Japan began with brief appearances in Chinese history texts from the first century CE. However, archaeological research indicates that people were living on the islands of Japan as early as the upper paleolithic period. ... The Han ) were the fiefs of feudal clans of Japan that were created by Toyotomi Hideyoshi and existed until their abolition in 1871, three years after the Meiji Restoration. ... The definition, agreement and practical use of units of measurement have played a crucial role in human endeavour from early ages up to this day. ... Minamoto no Yoritomo, the first shogun of the Kamakura shogunate For other articles with similar names, see Shogun (disambiguation). ... Japanese samurai in armour, 1860s. ... A hatamoto (旗本: Lit. ... Tohoku region, Japan The Tōhoku region (東北地方; Tōhoku-chihō) is a geographical area of Japan. ... For the dog breed, see Hokkaido (dog). ...

Koku was also used to measure how much a ship could carry when all its loads were rice. Smaller ships carried 50 koku while the biggest ships carried over 1,000 koku. The biggest ships were actually larger than military vessels owned by the Shogunate.

In the Meiji period (1868-1912), Japanese units such as the koku were abolished and the metric system was installed. The Meiji period ) denotes the 45-year reign of Emperor Meiji, running from 8 September 1868 (in the Gregorian calendar, 23 October 1868) to 30 July 1912. ... 1868 (MDCCCLXVIII) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar) of the Gregorian calendar or a leap year starting on Friday of the 12-day-slower Julian calendar. ... 1912 (MCMXII) was a leap year starting on Monday in the Gregorian calendar (or a leap year starting on Tuesday in the 13-day-slower Julian calendar). ... Shakkan-hō Shakkan-hō) is the traditional Japanese system of measurement. ... The International System of Units (symbol: SI) (for the French phrase Syst me International dUnit s) is the most widely used system of units. ...

The Hyakumangoku Matsuri festival in Kanazawa, Japan celebrates the arrival of Lord Maeda Toshiie into the city in 1583, although the Maeda's income was not actually raised to over a million koku until after the Battle of Sekigahara in 1600. The Hyakumangoku Matsuri (百万石まつり) is the main annual festival that takes place in Kanazawa, Japan. ... Kanazawa (金沢市; -shi) is the capital city of Ishikawa Prefecture in Japan. ... The Battle of Sekigahara was a decisive battle on September 15, 1600 (on the ancient Chinese calendar, October 21 on the modern calendar) that cleared the path to the Shogunate for Tokugawa Ieyasu. ...

The koku unit is still commonly used in the lumber industry in Japan.