A comparative study of tea-producing areas in pre-war Japan

2023 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 19K13759
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Early-Career Scientists
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Review Section: Basic Section 07070:Economic history-related
• Research Institution: Teikyo University (2020-2023); University of Shizuoka (2019)
• Principal Investigator: AWAKURA Daisuke 帝京大学, 経済学部, 講師 (60757590)
• Project Period (FY): 2019-04-01 – 2024-03-31
• Keywords: 茶業 / 静岡県 / 茶産地 / 清水港 / 茶輸出

Outline of Final Research Achievements

This study attempts a comparative analysis of tea-producing areas in prewar Japan, such as Shizuoka and Ibaraki. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic during the research period, the study was limited to individual analyses of the tea industries in Shizuoka and Ibaraki prefectures. However, the analysis of Ibaraki Prefecture shed light on tea production and distribution trends in Ibaraki Prefecture during the Meiji period, which had been little studied until then. The analysis of Shizuoka Prefecture also focused on the logistics infrastructure to analyze the actual state of tea distribution. The study also specifically discussed the movement to open Shimizu Port in the early Meiji period for the first time, and revealed that the people of Shizuoka Prefecture had been aiming to realize the opening of Shimizu Port in 1899, i.e., to become a tea export port, for 20 years before that.

Free Research Field

経済史

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

本研究の成果のうち、学術的な意義としては、同じ輸出産業であった製糸業と比べると、まだ研究蓄積は少ない近代日本の茶業史研究の進展に幾ばくかの貢献をしたことである。また、社会的意義としては、ほぼ静岡県に限られてしまったが、シンポジウム等を通じて清水港の茶輸出港としての役割を静岡県民に周知できたことである。茶産地を擁する静岡県でも、茶業や茶輸出の歴史は、広く県民の間で知れ渡っているわけではない。そうした状況のなかで、本研究の成果は静岡県と茶業との関係性を静岡県民に理解してもらうことにつながったものと思われる。