Distribution of the Textile Industry in Fukui City

Abstract

Fukui Prefecture is a famous area of textile industry in Japan, and Fukui city is the center of the industry in the prefecture.In this paper, the authors analyse the distribution of textile mills and dealers in the textiles in Fukui city in 1909, 1929, 1937, 1949 and 1959 respectively.1909 : The modern silk industry had developed since about 1890, and its distribution pattern was fundamentally formed by 1909.1929 : The textile industry made a remarkable development. However, the relative importance of the silk-textile industry decreased owing to the noticiable development of the rayon-textile industry, and both industries were almost equal in production.1937 : The total production of rayon-and silk-fabrics reached to the highest level in its developing process.1949 : Fuki city has experienced two tragedies, the damages by the fire due to the world war II in 1945, and the earth-quake in 1948. As a result of it, the textile industry had dwindled and the production declined. In 1949, the reconstruction of the industry had just started its first step.1959 : The textile industry has gradually been developing and the synthetic fabric mills have appeared.The dealers in the silk fabrics had been located at the central part of the city, to the west of the old castle. This area was the living area of merchants or the high class soldiers in the old feudal age. On the other hand, the silk-fabric production had been managed by the low class soldiers in the old feudal age, and they lived at the fringe of the old castle town located around the trading area and the living area of the high class soldiers. In 1909, the textile mills were also distributed in this area, with a dispersed pattern.The distribution pattern of silk-fabric industry has not remarkably changed in the process of its development, though the textile industry has experienced the introduction of the new kinds of fabrics and the severe damages by the fire owing to the war and the earth-quake. However, the trends of the concentration of the dealers into the central commercial area and the centrifugal movement of textile mills to the outskirts of the city have been becoming more apparent. Nowadays, there are few mills in the central part of the city, due to the movement of the textile mills.