“The Construction of Osaka Port and the Yodo River Improvement Project”: A Record of a Casual Discussion on the History of Osaka Port (Reading Osaka Port Magazine: Extra Edition 6 )

Four years after the end of the WW2, in 1950, a roundtable discussion organized by the Japan Port Association (moderated by Mr. Goto, Director-General of the Port and harbor Bureau at the Ministry of Transport) was held at the invitation of Hiroo Kondo, who was Mayor of Osaka City at that time. Six engineers who had been involved in the construction of the modern Port of Osaka from the Meiji to the Showa eras gathered for this meeting to share stories, behind-the-scenes accounts, and anecdotes not found in official histories. They recounted their experiences and what they had seen and heard at the time. Here are a few examples:

〇 The circumstances surrounding the cracking of concrete blocks initially placed in the sea for the construction of breakwaters during the port’s early development, and the technical improvements made

〇 The account of the sinking of the stone transport ship No. 5 Inujima Maru at “Shika-no-se,” as told directly by the ship’s surviving chief engineer

〇 The story of the land reclamation at the Block Yard near the Mouth of the Kizu river by Obayashi Corporation

〇 The story of how work on the Osaka Port construction stalled due to difficulties with the placement of ballast stones, prompting the Port Construction Office to switch from a bidding system to a reward system based on the volume of material placed, which allowed the work to proceed

〇 The story of how, during the Russo-Japanese War, stone and blocks were secretly loaded onto blockading ships at Osaka Port to help close off Port Arthur

〇 An anecdote about The Great Nishimura Sutezou: the story of how he erected the stone monument to Shigenari Kimura in Nakanoshima Park

〇 The story of how, when The Great Nishimura was summoned for an audience with Emperor Meiji, he intended to decline because he was so destitute he could not afford to have Western-style clothing tailored, but was scolded by his wife

〇 The timing and causal relationship between the Yodo River improvement project and the construction of Osaka Port

〇 The character of Prof. Tadao Okino, an early civil engineer and construction manager at the Port Construction Office, and how he nurtured talented subordinates

〇 The story of Mr. Tadanobu Oka, who succeeded prof. Okino; after retiring from Osaka City Office, he joined Obayashi Corporation and, as president, utilized heavy machinery to construct the Ikoma Tunnel including the hardships he faced during that time

Many of the stories recounted here are based on firsthand observations, experiences, and accounts from that era. Because these records were preserved during an era when the Meiji and Taisho periods still felt close at hand, even now, nearly a century later, we can still sense the pulse of the harbor construction projects of that time and the people who were in charge of them.

(Japanese)

 大阪港の昔を語る「大阪築港並びに淀川改修工事」　雑談会記

終戦から４年が経過した、昭和２４年（1950年）に、当時の近藤博夫大阪市長の声掛けにより、日本港湾協会主催による座談会（司会は運輸省後藤港湾局長）が開催された。明治から昭和にかけて、近代大阪港の建設に携わった６名の技術者が集まって、正史にない、裏面史、逸話などを語りあう会で、当時の経験談や見聞きしたことが語られているが、以下いくつか紹介すると、

〇当初築港の防波堤建設用に海中に投入した、コンクリートブロックの亀裂事件のいきさつや、技術的に改良したこと

〇石材運搬船の第５犬島丸の「鹿の瀬」での沈没の状況を、同船の生き残りの一等運転手より直接聞いた話

〇大林組による、木津川尻ブロックヤードの埋立の話

〇大阪築港のための沈床捨て石作業が捗らなかったため、築港事務所が、入札によらず、投入量に応じて懸賞を出す方式に切り替えたことで、作業が進んだ話

〇日露戦争時の旅順港閉鎖に、大阪港で極秘に閉塞船に石材やブロックを積み込んだ話

〇西村捨三翁の逸話として、中ノ島公園にある、木村重成の石碑を建立した話

〇西村翁が明治天皇から、謁見を求められた時、赤貧のため、洋服をあつらえることができないので、断ろうとして翁が妻君から叱られた話

〇淀川改修と大阪港の建設の時期や因果関係など

〇築港事務所の初期の土木技術者で工事長だった沖野忠雄氏の人柄や優秀な部下を育てたことなど

〇沖野氏の後を継いだ、岡胤信氏が大阪市を退職後、大林組に入社し社長として、大型機械を駆使して、生駒トンネルを建設した時の苦労話など、

当時、実際に見聞き、体験した話が多く語られている。まだ明治、大正時代が身近に感じられたこの時代に、このような記録を残してくれていたことで、もうすでに一世紀近く経過した現在でも、当時の築港事業やそれを担当していた人々の息使いを感じることができる。