In Japan, regional differences currently exist in the designation of drawing pins. In addition to the official name gabyo, oshi-pin and gabari are frequently used in western Japan and Gifu Prefecture, respectively. The drawing pin was imported to Japan as drawing supplies accompanied by Japanese modernization, such that regional differences in their designation may reflect the process by which modern industrial products from overseas spread throughout the country. Thus, this study examines the causes of these regional differences using the literature and real objects.

The following conclusions are obtained. Firstly, gabari is considered to have become popular in Gifu Prefecture after Sakugoro Hirase, who is currently known as a famous scientist but was a drawing teacher in Gifu Prefecture during 1875–1887. He used it in his textbook and educational activities at schools. Secondly, oshi-pin is believed to have spread throughout western Japan after an influential imported stationery distributor in Osaka Prefecture used it in the 1900s. And finally, gabyo is deemed to have acquired the status of an official name after it was used as an item name for patents circa 1910s and the simultaneous expansion of domestic production of drawing pins.

In this thesis, I analyzed three cases of fieldwork conducted by Terunobu Fujimori from the 1970s to the 1980s, including architectural detective work, street observation, and street natural history to elucidate the process of understanding Tokyo. Although different objectives underlie these fieldworks, they were primarily activities conducted in Tokyo and shared one common aspect—an urban experience centered on walking. Fujimori’s activities are typically analyzed from the architectural historical or sociological perspective. Thus, this study examines Fujimori’s understanding of Tokyo through fieldworks he conducted therein and the type of urban (Tokyo) theory derived from this experience of understanding urban space from the anthropological perspective. The author is hopeful that the findings will lead to a new perspective of urban theory as an experience that requires attention from conventional urban theory research.