THE DEVELOPMENT AND DEVELOPERS OF KITABAN-CHO, SHIZUOKA-SHI

Abstract

Kitaban-cho in Shizuoka city, Shizuoka prefecture is a town that prospered as a result of the tea industry. No historic buildings survive in Kitaban-cho today, but before World War n there were many Western-style offices and large warehouses in the area. This paper sheds light on the developers of Kitaban-cho in the early 20^<th> century. To judge from old maps and registers of landowners, it would seem that the development and extension of roads in Kitaban-cho was intended to facilitate the transportation of merchandise by the tea trading companies. This suggests that this development was undertaken not by national or local government but the private sector. Many foreign trading companies opened shops in Kitaban-cho. It is clear from their relationship with the main foreign trading companies, that the two tea merchants, Ozaki Ihei and Kawamura Katsujiro played a role in this development. Ozaki acquired much property in the Kitaban-cho area, and the scope of his activities indicates that he was one of the principal developers. Through his involvement in the development of Kitaban-cho, he transformed himself from a tea trader to a modern-style business executive. Kitaban-cho is thus noteworthy as an example of a regional town in early 20^<th> century Japan where urban development was undertaken by private developers.