THE PROBLEMS OF INLAND CITIES AND TRAFFIC ROUTES IN THE LATE TOKUGAWA ERA

Abstract

Inland traffic routes in the Chûgoku District have extensively been used since ancient times. The San'in and the San'yô traverse above all, were much greater in their importance because of their regional differences and their short distance between them. With the remarkable development of the Chûgoku District in recent years, it is naturally desired to have a historical recognition of the In-yô (Sani'n-San'yô) traverse routes which are, as they were, the source of local development. In the paper, I tried, setting the point of time at the end of the late Tokugawa era, to revive the inland traffic routes from both sides; one as a route for Daimyo to go up to Edo for an alternate-year residence or to send the payment of iron or copper to the authorities, the other as general economic routes mainly used for trading of salt. Furthermore, I investigated the geographical distribution of traffic means…by takasebune (barge), on horsebacks or cow's back, and so on, and studied their geographical characters. Next, taking up inland cities and towns from the point of view of political and economic centers, I recognized the following castle towns…IIkuno, Yamasaki, Tsuyama, Katsuyama, Niimi and Wakasa, and classified them by taffic from and by their mutual relations of the In-yô traverse routes. On the function and structure of these cities, I tried to grasp the connection between the In-yô main routes and the positions of these inland cities, and the pointed out some geographical characteristics. The following are the gist of the invetigation. (1) The limits of going upstream by takasebune nearly coincide with the 100-meter contour lines. But antecedent rivers such as the Asahi, the Takahashi, and the Gô run still farther inland. The gradient is about 1 in 400. (2) As to the relation between the traffic service by takasebune and the economics of inland cities, the limits of going upstream coincide with the locations of economic centers. (3) As to the relation between the positions of cities and inland traffic routes, the classification of inland cities is as follows; (A) cities with overland routes (Ikuno and Wakasa), and (B) cities with watercourses and overland routes (Tsuyama, Katsuyama, Niimi and Yamasaki). Now, if we set the starting point of an In-yô traverse route O, Ikuno and Wakasa fall in AO type; Katsuyama BO type and Niimi, Tsuyama and Yamasaki B type. (4) Ikuno on the San'In side (AO type) was politically built into a town with little traffic service owing to the specific condition of being a silver mining town under the direct control of Bakufu (Japan's feudal government). Accordingly, the small village of Ringai-mura came to develop into a traffic town, substituting for Ikuno. This town maintained the facilities of the concentration center of traffic and formed an economic center at the place where economic power of the silver mining town was crossed with the San'yo economic area. (5) Katsuyama on the San'yo side (BO type) formed itself into an eonomic center at the terminal point of a traverse route from San'in where the upper limit of takasebune from San'yô was found. Traffic with San'in is the main factor for the formation of this center. (6) Niimi (B type) was partially used as a post-town on In-yô traverse route, but its terminal point did not coincide with the location of any economic center. Niimi as a central place was formed by combining the urban economy to the economic area in the lower reaches of the Takahashi river with traffic service by takasebune. Rather it has characters of a pure inland city. In the case of Tsuyama, there is a more marked tendency of this sort. (7) In brief, geographical positions of these inland economic centers in San'yô or in San'in, manifest the orientation to urban economy.