Abstract
This study aims to clarify the characteristics of the urbanization that occurred under the land readjustment projects implemented in the period from the Sino-Japanese War to the reforms following World War II, by focusing on the conflict between landowners and tenant farmers in Amagasaki city, Hyogo prefecture. The following are the three points examined:
The first point explains how arable land within land readjustment sites was actually used during the war. Landowners paid the tenant farmers compensation money before land readjustment projects were implemented. In this case study, however, projects fell behind due to the lack of materials, thus allowing the peasants to continue farming.
The second point involves the conflict between landowners and tenant farmers during the period of the post-war reforms. The conflict was over replotting and reduction of arable land, both of which the tenant farmers opposed. In the end, the claims made by the landowners who followed government policy were accepted.
The third point presents the characteristics of urbanized areas. The implementation of land readjustment projects caused the reduction of arable land, creating instead land for public use. Nevertheless, the tenant farmers influenced the formation of urban areas by continuing to use land for farming with the approval of the Agricultural Committee, the local authority that oversees agricultural issues.
This chapter is a translation of an article that originally appeared in Shakai Keizai Shigaku 77(1) (May 2011), pp. 3–23.
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Notes
- 1.
For a previous work that sheds light on such villages, see Ebato (1987).
- 2.
This association was originally called Ōshōmura-chūbudaiichi, but mura (village) was removed from its name after the incorporation of the village into Amagasaki in 1942. In this chapter, Ōshō-chūbudaiichi will be used throughout.
- 3.
Land readjustment projects carried out by non-governmental associations were based on Article 12 of the 1919 City Planning Act , and implemented in accordance with the provisions of the Arable Land Consolidation Act. For official recognition, associations for land readjustment required the agreement of over half the total number of landowners in the area providing that they represented over two thirds of the total area and total value of the land therein. However, tenant farmers who cultivated the land but did not own any could not become members (Okazaki 1925).
- 4.
“Reserve land ” refers to areas that were removed in advance from the plans for replotting when readjustment projects were implemented. These areas of land were made available for sale by the individual readjustment associations, as a source of funding for the projects.
- 5.
Kukaku Seiri (Land Readjustment), a prewar magazine, ran a series giving advice on the establishment and management of associations for land readjustment. The process of removing tenants from the land was covered in the very first part of the series, as an essential part of the preparations needed before an association was established (Yokota 1935).
- 6.
The zones were a special measure related to land bought by the government as part of the Agricultural Land Reform Acts. Sales of land in these zones to tenant farmers were postponed for 5 years so that the direction of urbanisation in the zone could be determined.
- 7.
Interview with Mr. Hori Kuniomi 4 February 2010.
- 8.
When the relationship between the household of this farmer and the farming households in Table 1.2 was not clear, numbers #42 and above have been assigned for reasons of expediency.
- 9.
According to a survey of September 1954, the lowest price for dealings in residential land in the city of Kōbe in Hyōgo prefecture was 302.5 yen (Kensetsushō Jūtakukyoku 1954).
- 10.
Kawabata Mataichi was a central figure in the Tachibana League for Protecting Residential Land that was mentioned in 3.1 (Numajiri 2008).
- 11.
For the historical background to the formation of nationally held agricultural land, see Tachibana (1971).
- 12.
In view of the fact that the yield on residential land for rent in the neighbouring Tachibana readjustment area was showing a downturn (Numajiri 2009), it is likely that the income of landowners in the Ōshō-chūbudaiichi land readjustment area from letting land and housing was also going down. The Rent Control Act and the general strengthening of the rights of tenants of rental housing were among the causes.
- 13.
Ishihara Kōsaku, a technical official at the Ministry of Construction , stated that from the city planning side, great problems were caused by the fact that land in readjustment areas under the City Planning Act and green areas designated for parks were considered as targets of agricultural reform and were even sold to owner farmers or made into areas where sales were suspended for five years (Ishihara 1957).
- 14.
In January 1955, tenant farmers from Hamada also applied to buy nationally owned agricultural land (land that had previously been subject to a five year postponement of sales) on the basis of Article 36 of the Agricultural Land Act (AN 1955).
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Postscript
Postscript
After writing this article, the author produced a book (Numajiri 2015) that contained enlarged and corrected versions of this and other articles, including Numajiri (2008, 2009). The book included an attempt to analyse changes in land use during Japan’s period of rapid economic growth, the topic that was mentioned above. Those interested should consult the volume. Further, the book used historical documents related to Hamada that were discovered after the writing of this article. These materials led to changes in the author’s view that are explained below:
-
(i)
A copy of the decision regarding the litigation of November 1950 was discovered. (It is owned by an individual but has been lent to the Amagasaki Municipal Archives.) From this it is clear that since the designation of 5-year suspension of sales zones was not within the power of administrative disposition, the prefecture suggested that municipally run Agricultural Land Committees could make proposals regarding plans to sell land in such areas. The court supported this view. Moreover, it is also clear that tenant farmers asked for permission to buy nationally owned land before any judgement was made regarding their litigation. This suggests that they were using the prefecture’s view of the matter as a counterattack to strengthen their arguments in favour of buying land. (For evidence with regard to this last point, see also AAN 1950.)
-
(ii)
It was also discovered that at the December 1958 meeting of the Amagasaki Agricultural Committee , permission had actually been given for the transfer of rights over rice fields in Hamada on the basis of Article 3 of the Agricultural Land Law (AN 1958). The transfer of rights was justified as compensation for the loss of land as a result of land readjustment, and it was explained at the meeting that it was a condition necessary for the settlement of a dispute concerning land readjustment. As a result, in Numajiri (2015), the interpretation of the nature of the agreement made between landowners and tenant farmers was changed in order to show that it was possible for tenant farmers to receive compensation for the loss of land.
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Numajiri, A. (2017). Landowners and Tenant Farmers in the Process of Urban Formation: A Case Study of Amagasaki City, Hyogo Prefecture, 1937–1952. In: Baba, S. (eds) Economic History of Cities and Housing. Monograph Series of the Socio-Economic History Society, Japan. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-10-4097-9_1
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