The study on the changing processes of the landscape of port towns in the early modern times

2018 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 25370918
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Human geography
• Research Institution: Kyoto University (2015-2018); Aichi Prefectural University (2013-2014)
• Principal Investigator: Yamamura Aki 京都大学, 人間・環境学研究科, 准教授 (50335212)
• Project Period (FY): 2013-04-01 – 2019-03-31
• Keywords: 歴史地理学 / 景観復原 / 港町 / 川湊 / 城下町 / 近世化 / 空間構造 / 景観史

Outline of Final Research Achievements

This research has focused on the medieval cities whose ports are located large rivers, and has examined how their spatial structures changed in the early modern times as they gradually came under the rule of warrior feudal lords and reaped benefits from the economic development. It turns out that, with the lords’castles and their towns arranged and the ports attaining more sophisticated functions and fulfilling them efficiently,they became divided into areas of distinct roles, the castle town area and the port town area were kept separate within the same cities. The research also reveals that in the 16th and 17th century, the landscape transformation was correlated with such factors as the rapid change of environment along the rivers, the political and economic policies of warrior lords, the invention of specialty products, and the development of new rice fields as well as the reorganization of farming villages and the alteration of traffic routes in the surroundings of the cities.

Free Research Field

歴史地理学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

中近世の港町研究は、日本史学や建築史学等の分野で盛んに行われてきた学際的な都市論である。しかし、伝統的に過去の景観復原研究を専門としてきた歴史地理学は、これまで港町研究に、十分には関与してこなかった。本研究は、歴史地理学の景観復原の視点と方法を応用して港町研究に参入する点で、学際研究の進展に貢献する意義を持つ。また、研究代表者はもう一つの研究の軸として城下町研究を行っており、城下町／港町という区分を超えた中近世都市論として、研究を発展させるという点でも学術的意義がある。本研究の成果は日本各地の港町において、地域の魅力や価値を市民とともに再発見することにつながり、その点で社会的意義を持つ。