高度経済成長が川上と川下の住民にもたらした影響 : 太田川を例として

本稿は広島県に例をとり，太田川の川上と川下とを関連づけながら両者を比較し，高度経済成長の影響を検証することを目的としている。水を媒体にして深く結びついていた川上と川下に視点を置くことによって，これまで経験したことのない激変をもたらした高度経済成長の実態に接近できるのではないかと考えてのことである。太田川が流れる広島県は，戦後，軍需産業の解体や戦災の影響もあって，経済後進県として出発したが，高度経済成長期に全国平均を上回る発展を達成し，経済先進県の仲間入りを果たした。こうしたなかで第２次，第３次産業は急成長し，川下の都市の生産額，所得，人口はおおむね増加したが，第１次産業は停滞し，川上の山村の生産額，所得は伸び悩み，人口は急激に減少した。こうした状況は経済的要因に加え，当時の国や県の施策によって助長された面もあり，また両者には少なからぬ関連性が存在していた。川上に位置する戸河内，筒賀などの町村の営みは，かつては農業と林業を主要産業とし，自給自足に近い生活をしながら，木材と余剰農産物を太田川の水運によって川下に運び販売し，その資金で日用品を購入することで成り立っていた。こうした継続性のある再生産の可能な関係は，高度経済成長期に太田川において電力の一貫完全開発が完成し，国の指導により経済林を目指した山林経営が強力に推進されて以降，一変した。自然が経済に従属させられ，皮肉にも経済的に価値のある生産物を失った川上の山村の住民は，川下の都市に出て労働力を販売することによって生活を維持しなければならなくなり，深刻な過疎状況が現出したのであった。川上と川下は単に地理的だけではなく，高度経済成長においてどのように位置づけられたかという社会的要因を加味した概念と考えられる。そして川上的なものの喪失は日本人，ひいては人類の多様性，共同性が失われることを意味し，その回復が共通の課題として提起されている。In this article, the Ohta River in Hiroshima Prefecture is considered as an example. The purpose of this article is to verify the effects of high economic growth through a comparison of both upriver and downriver and the correlation between them. By focusing on upriver and downriver, which are deeply connected through the medium of water, I attempted to approach the actual situation of high economic growth that brought a drastic change never before experienced.Hiroshima Prefecture through which the Ohta River runs started as an economically less advanced prefecture because of the dismantlement of the military industry after the war and the effects of war damage. In the high-economic-growth period, however, the economy of Hiroshima achieved above the national average and Hiroshima was included amongst the most economically advanced prefectures. In these circumstances, the secondary and the tertiary industries grew rapidly, and the production, income, and population of the downriver cities generally increased, while primary industry stagnated; on the other hand, production and income of the upriver mountain villages fell into sluggish growth, and the population rapidly decreased. This situation was partially promoted by the then government\u27s and prefecture\u27s policies in addition to the economic factor, and both factors had considerable relevance to each other.The main industries in the upriver towns and villages such as Togouchi and Tsutsuga were agriculture and forestry. People lived nearly self-sufficiently, transporting lumber and farm surpluses by the water of the Ohta River and selling them for profit, and buying daily necessities with the money. This continuous relationship drastically changed after the fully integrated development of electrical power was completed in the Ohta River in the high-economic-growth period and forest management toward a commercial forest was strongly promoted under the guidance of the government. Nature now came under the economy. Ironically, the residents of the upriver mountain villages who lost products that had economic value had to sustain their life by going to the downriver cities and selling their labor. As a result, a serious depopulation occurred.It is considered that the concept of upriver and downriver is based on not only geography but also the additional social factor of their positioning in the period of high economic growth. The loss of something like the upriver communities means the loss of the diversity of the Japanese, and furthermore, that of mankind. Their recovery is proposed as a common issue