On the Leased Area of Tennoji Park
its Establishment and Effects
1964 Volume 27 Issue 2 Pages 10-17,21
Details
1964 Volume 27 Issue 2 Pages 10-17,21
The 5th Industrial Exhibition of Japan was held in Osaka city in 1903. The City Government, that was obliged to prepare a large site for the Exhibiton, acquired an of about 30 ha. at a great cost, partly by means of compulsive purchase-the application of Land Expropriation Law-on condition that a large city park should be established there after its closing. That is the origin of Tennoji Park of today. Of course all the site was not used for a park area. It was decided to rent its western part (some 10 ha.) in 1911, in order to have the financial basis indispensable to maintenance and management of established parks.
The area let out on lease was generally called “Sakugaichi”i. e. “the Outside Area of Tennoji Park” for the reason of being separated with a fence from the inside area-the actual park area. Soon thereafter Sakugaichi and its vicinities were developed as a kind of amusement centre, and became famous by the name of “Shinsekai”, literally “New World”.
At the ending of Taisho era was completed the first and most ambitious Park Planning Scheme, which was involved in the 2nd Town Planning of Osaka a few years later. So the Government tried to sell the rented area to tenants in 1937, for getting a financial source available for execution of proposed parks and playgrounds. Their opposition against disposal, however, was so violent that the accumulation of the park constrution fund got deadlocked.
In the meantime the fund problem was fortunate enough to be solved in the form of adding a item of “Park Working” to “Working Expenses for Town Plahning, Special Account”. Because, by all means, the Government had to promote the park planning in memory of the year 2600 of Imperial era, that had been agreed in the Osaka City Council. Consequently the leased area still remains unsettled in the middst of Osaka City. It is very regrettable, for the above mentioned policy has already finished its historical role, which might have been inevitable and important before.
