Sociohistorical study on infrastructure management in early modern cities

2023 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 18K04545
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Review Section: Basic Section 23040:Architectural history and design-related
• Research Institution: Hosei University
• Principal Investigator: MATSUMOTO Kenshiro 法政大学, 文学部, 准教授 (80468719)
• Project Period (FY): 2018-04-01 – 2024-03-31
• Keywords: 江戸東京 / 公共負担 / インフラ維持管理組合

Outline of Final Research Achievements

How were infrastructure such as roads, bridges, water and sewage systems managed in early modern cities?　Modern nations have adopted tax systems, but what kind of system did they have before that? I collected and analyzed historical documents held in museums and other institutions across Japan.　Among the achievements,　I clarified the infrastructure management during the transition period from Edo to Tokyo.　In Edo, infrastructure management depended on daimyo, but this became impossible in Tokyo. At this point, a fair burden system is required. Then wealthy merchants entered the modern city planning business.

Free Research Field

歴史学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

現在、道路や橋梁、上下水道などのインフラ維持管理のコストが問題となっている。誰が、どこまで負担すべきであるのか。現代社会は、こうした問題に当事者意識をもつことも難しくなってきている。では前近代において人びとはインフラ維持管理にどのように関わってきたのか。本研究の成果のひとつに、近世から近代への移行期におけるインフラ維持管理の制度変容過程を明らかにしたことがある。前近代および近代の有り様を確認することで、現代社会の問題を考える手がかりとしたい。