Ash Was Worth Trading

Ash Was Worth Trading

ash was worth trading in old Japan people didn’t throw away ash they sold it 300 men in Edeto made their living collecting ash from homes temples even bathous and in return not money they bartered with cotton oil and salt there were even ash markets along the rivers where ash was traded like rice or firewood because ash had value it softened water preserved food cleaned dyed tanned and cured in a time before plastic and waste even the dust of yesterday had a purpose recycling the Edeto people just called it life

In Edo-era Japan, ash was not just waste—it was currency.
Ash collectors moved through the streets, gathering what homes had left behind.
What came next was barter, exchange, and an early form of circular economy.
We’ve only scratched the surface. The full story lies deeper.