From the rural communities at their terminal stage to the new localities/regions at their formative process in Japan today

2019 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 16K03202
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Human geography
• Research Institution: Senshu University
• Principal Investigator: MATSUO YASUTAKA 専修大学, 文学部, 教授 (20199764)
• Project Period (FY): 2016-04-01 – 2020-03-31
• Keywords: 新たな地域 / 村落 / 農山村 / 地域振興 / 産業 / 持続可能性 / 立地 / アイデンティティ

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Upper-class farmers managed non-agricultural business like the merchants in the cities and employed many residents. In 1880’s,1910-30’s or 1950’s, their business waned or disappeared. Some became the landlords, others moved out to the cities. This study analyzed the following six themes; 1. Dismantling of the cohesion of rural communities near Edo/Tokyo, 2. Transition of locally embedded industrial areas to the industrial estate, 3. Restructuring of forestry regions and the development of woody- biomass business, 4. Recession of the shipping business by upper-class farmers alongside the Japan Sea and the reshaping of the locality, 5. Regional promotion activities via tourism ensuing regional alteration, 6. Development of the new region through socio-economic upheaval.
Their results are as follows; one edited book, four papers in a book, five articles in the journals, six oral presentations.

Free Research Field

人文地理学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

農林漁業・第二三次産業のいずれの事業に関しても、村（ムラ）の役割は縮小・解体して個別事業化が進行した。一方で、「新たな地域」の事業体群は、都市域のそれと同じ経済構造にはない。集落、村落共同体・社会構造などに注目した村落地域論でもなく、経済地理学史上の地域構造論・経済立地論・工業地域論とも異なる、市町村と県の中間規模の農山村・非都市域における社会経済に則った地域構造論を追究している点で学術的オリジナリティを有し、地方生活圏の持続可能性に資する点で社会的意義がある。
活動事業体群の種類・立地過程・社会経済的特色、立地地域における機能をさらに分析して、「新たな地域」の実態解明を深めたい。