The Theoretical and Practical Study on the Oral History Method in the Historical Studies of Civil Engineering by Focusing the Expressway

2005 Fiscal Year Final Research Report Summary

• Project/Area Number: 14350279
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (B)
• Allocation Type: Single-year Grants
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: 交通工学・国土計画
• Research Institution: Nihon University
• Principal Investigator: ITOH Takashi Nihon University, College of Science and Technology, Professor, 理工学部, 教授 (30287578)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): SUZUKI Nobuharu Kanto Gakuin University, College of Engineering, Assistant Professor, 工学部, 助教授 (80272368)
• Project Period (FY): 2002 – 2005
• Keywords: Oral History / Historical Studies in Civil Engineering / Honshu-Shikoku Bridge / Kuniichiro Takahashi / Takashi Inoue / Tsutomu Yamane / Highway Administration / Expressway

Research Abstract

Recently in the historical studies of civil engineering, it is thought to be important that we clarify the policy or the decision-making process on the public works, so called "soft engineering", against designing structures, so called "hard engineering".
The purpose of our study and approaches to it are the following.
1)Focusing on the expressways promoted the economic growth rapidly in Japan.
2)Using the oral history method in popular with Europe and America.
3)Interviewing the key-persons in relation with expressways in Japan while they are alive, by recording their life stories, we make up their documents to preserve.
4)Studying the oral history method in the historical studies of civil engineering.
We, the Subcommittee on Oral History Studies, the Committee on Historical Studies in Civil Engineering, the Japan Society of Civil Engineers, get the following results.
1)Interviewing, recording and making up documents
We interviewed 3 key-technocrats in the dawn of highway administration after the World War II. And we recorded their life stories and made up their documents to preserve.
3 key-technocrats are Mr.Kuniichiro Takahashi, Mr.Takashi Inoue and Mr.Tsutomu Yamane. We interviewed each of them every year from 2002 to 2005.
a)Mr.Kuniichiro Takahashi has been the Vice-Minister of Construction and the President of Japan Highway Public Corporation. We interviewed him 7 times from 2002 to 2003.
b) Mr.Takashi Inoue was the Vice-Minister of Construction, the member of the House of Councilors and the Director-General, National Land Agency. We interviewed him 6 times from 2003 to 2004. He died on November 7 in 2004 and this oral history became his last public work.
c)Mr.Tsutomu Yamane has been the Director-General, Road Bureau, Ministry of Construction and the President of the Honshu-Shikoku Bridge Authority. We interviewed him 10 times from 2004 to 2005.
2)Establishing the oral history method
By interviewing 3 key-technocrats we get new ideas and tips for establishing the oral history method in the historical studies of civil engineering.
In 2005, the last year of our research periods, we make 5 reports : 3 practical and 2 theoretical ones.
3 practical ones are consisted of 3 key-technocrats oral history documents.
2 theoretical reports are consisted of "generalization" and "One Day Seminar in 2004". They are written about the oral history method and its meaning in the historical studies of civil engineering.