“A Side Story of Osaka Port Construction” by Kouhei Unno,1929

Osaka Port Plan by De Rijke 1894

 　

Although the Port of Osaka opened in 1868, there were many twists and turns before the Osaka Port Construction Office began modern port construction in 1897. In this article, I would like to describe the circumstances leading up to the establishment of that office.
In “A Side History of the Construction of Osaka Port” by Mr. Kouhei Unno of the Osaka Port Construction Research Association, published in Volume 7, Issue 3 (pp. 66–72) of　the journal “Port” (published by the Japan Port Association in 1929), the circumstances leading to the establishment of the Osaka Port Construction Research Association are described, along with the “Proposal” submitted by the association to the Osaka City Council, Osaka Prefecture, and economic organizations. At the time, while the necessity of developing the Port of Osaka was widely recognized, there was no consensus on who should lead the project, the methods to be used, or the specific plans. It appears there was a flurry of debate over whether the Port of Osaka should be operated by the city, the national government, or the private sector.
　The “Proposal” emphasized that port construction was a matter of life and death for Osaka. It argued for the superiority of Osaka Port within the context of the Osaka-Kobe rivalry—much like the Tokyo-Yokohama rivalry—and petitioned for the immediate implementation of surveying and investigation. It argued that while Kobe Port had deep waters, its land area was limited and transportation links to the interior were poor; in contrast, although Osaka’s waters were shallow, its plains were flat and vast, and transportation links were excellent. It further contended that the shallowness of the waters could be artificially remedied, concluding that Osaka Port was superior. However, looking back now, advancements in civil engineering—such as the improvement of shipping lanes through dredging, the expansion of flat land through land reclamation, and the development of transportation networks via tunnels and expressways—have overcome the natural conditions of both ports’ locations that were unimaginable at the time. I believe that Osaka and Kobe are now becoming nearly equal in terms of conditions.　
The research group resolved to have the construction of Osaka Port undertaken by the city and actively lobbied the administration; however, given the enormous project costs, discussions regarding the City of Osaka assuming the burden remained deadlocked. Subsequently, recognizing the need to conduct surveys first, a special session of the Osaka City Council was convened in November 1892, where a budget of 13,600 yen for surveying expenses was approved, marking the first step forward. As a result, the Osaka Bay Port Construction Survey Office was established within the Osaka Prefectural Government Office. This led to the establishment of the Osaka Port Investigation Office the following year (1893) and the Osaka Port Office in 1897, which in turn led to De Rijke’s dispatch to Osaka, the survey and investigation, and the appointment of Great Sutezou Nishimura as the first director.
　At the end of the text, Mr. Unno concludes with the imperial edict issued by Prince Akihito at the groundbreaking ceremony in 1897: “...It is easy to begin a project but difficult to complete it. I urge you all to strive diligently to bring this endeavor to a successful conclusion.” October 17, 1897   Chief of the General Staff, Army General, Second Class, Prince Akihito.”

（Japanese）

　1868年に開港した大阪港でしたが、明治30年の大阪築港事務所による、近代的港湾建設着手に至るまでは、紆余曲折がありました。今回は同事務所が設立されるまでの状況を紹介したいと思います。

昭和4年日本港湾協会発行「港湾」第7巻第3号Ｐ66~72の大阪築港研究会の海野淵平氏による「大阪築港側面史」には、大阪築港研究会が設立された経緯や同研究会により大阪市参事会、大阪府、経済団体に提出された「建議書」が記載されています。当時、大阪築港の必要性は大方認識されていたものの、その実施主体、方法、計画について煮詰まらなかった状況にありました。大阪港の運営を市営とするか国営、民営など議論百出の状況であったようです。

　「建議書」では大阪にとって港湾修築が死活問題である点、東京対横浜のごとく、大阪対神戸の問題の中で大阪港の優位性を説いて、一刻も早い測量調査の実施を請願しています。神戸港は海は深いが、陸地が狭く、内地との交通の便もよくない、それに比べて大阪は、海は浅いが、平野は平坦で広大、交通の便がよい、海の浅いのは人工的に救済できると説いて、大阪港の方が優っているとの内容です。しかし、現在翻ってみると、土木技術の発達は、浚渫による航路整備、埋立による平地の増加、トンネル、高速道路による交通網の整備により、当時想像できなかった、双方の港立地上の自然条件が克服され、いまや、大阪、神戸はほぼ同等の条件になりつつあるのではないかと思います。　

同研究会は、大阪築港を市営で行うことを議決し、積極的に行政に働きかけていたようですが、何分事業費が莫大であり、大阪市が負うことについて、議論がまとまらない状況でしたが、その後、まず測量を行う必要ありとして、明治25年11月に臨時大阪市会を開催し、測量費1万3600円の支出予算を可決し、第1歩を踏み出しました。その結果、大阪湾築港測量事務所が大阪府庁内に設けられ、翌26年大阪築港取調所、明治30年の大阪築港事務所開設とつながり、デ・レーケの大阪派遣、測量調査、西村捨三翁の初代所長就任に繋がっていきました。

　本文の最後に、海野氏は、明治30年の起工式の際の、彰仁親王による令旨『「前略・・・業ハ起ス二易ク成ル二難シ諸子夫レ奮勵從事シ以テ有終ノ美ヲ濟サンコトヲ勉メヨ」明治三十年十月十七日　參謀總長陸軍大將　大勳位功二級　彰仁親王』で締めくくっています。

（Japanese）
『大阪築港側面史』　　大阪築港研究会　海野淵平　

阪

治明治