Relay Talk
FURUKAWA Kozo (Takamatsu Marugamemachi Shopping Street Promotion Association Chairman)
Looking ahead 100 years
Takamatsu City, where I was born and raised, was once called the marine capital of the Seto Inland Sea. It prospered as a port town and as the central administrative city of the island of Shikoku. After the opening of the Seto Ohashi Bridge, the city experienced a dramatic transformation, and the central shopping district, which had played a key role in Takamatsu’s commercial prosperity, was driven to decline. In Marugamemachi, which boasts 430 years of history, a revitalization plan was launched to ensure the district’s survival, and one of the most integral parts of this plan was improvement of the plaza.
Old European towns almost always have a large plaza or square in the center. The plaza was truly a place for locals to gather, relax, share information, and socialize. Japan also had a similar place. It was known as “fuda no tsuji.” These fuda no tsuji were intersections or crossroads (“tsuji”) where official bulletin boards were erected during the Edo period, and many remain as place names throughout the country today. They were where most people gathered such as large plazas or squares in the center of town, the start of a main road, and a space in front of a castle’s main entrance. The large plaza underneath the dome that was built as part of the Marugamemachi redevelopment was also the starting point for main roads in Sanuki and in ancient times, was an area facing the castle’s main entrance. The place also played an important role in urban planning—truly a fuda no tsuji. Having undergone major developments, many local residents now make good use of the plaza on their days off, and it plays a major role in the bustle of the town, hosting more than 250 independent events each year. It is my hope that this space will become a symbolic plaza for the city where local residents can gather for the next 100 years.
What legacy can we leave to our children and grandchildren who follow? We must create urban areas that look ahead 100 years, where many locals can live as they once did in the center of the city, where the hustle and bustle of city life can return, and where people can relax and socialize.