<論説>地主的土地所有の空間的展開と明治地方自治制 : 福岡県浮羽郡を事例として

Abstract

明治地方自治制の成立過程に関する研究は従来数多くなされてきた。しかし、地理学の分野においては市制・町村制に先立つ町村合併を扱ったもの以外見るべきものはない。近年、地方自治制の成立以後の実態的運営に関する研究が批判的かつ実証的に展開されつつある。本稿はこうした研究動向をふまえ、福岡県浮羽郡を事例として明治二〇年代以降の地主的土地所有の空間的展開と地方自治制との関係について考察する。まず、地方自治制成立以後も動態的に展開する土地所有関係を分析し、浮羽郡の地主制の空間的特徴を把握する。その結果をもとに、町村の領域を越えて拡がる土地所有関係が、町村の行財政機能に影響していた事実を指摘する。さらに、参政権規定の検討をもとに地方議会議員の選出に見られる地域的な偏倚と、議員の経歴に見られる地域経済との関係を示す。以上の分析を通して、明治地方自治制下における地主制と政治・行政的な町村間格差との相互関係を明らかにする。

The local government system in the mid-Meiji Era legally consisted of four acts : the Act of City (Shi-sei) and the Act of Town and Village (Choson-sei) which were enforced in 1890, the Act of Prefecture (Fuken-Sei) and the Act of County (Gun-sei) which were issued in 1891. Many studies on the process of the establishment of this local government system have been conducted. However in the field of geography, studies have focused instead on the amalgamation of local municipalities shortly before these acts were established. The common view of this process in the field of history of local government finance is currently being reconsidered. Positivistic studies on the actual enforcement of the acts in local areas are also being made. This paper is besed on such a research trend. It explores the relationship between the spatial development of land accumulation by landlords in Ukiha County, Fukuoka Prefecture and the local government system from the late nineteenth century to the early twentieth century. Firstly the spatial development of land accumulation and the spatial characteristics of the landlordism in Ukiha County are analysed. According to the results of this analysis, it is found that the land accumulation beyond boundaries of the municipalities in Ukiha County affected their financial and administrative functions by way of the economies in the municipalities. Lastly this paper demonstrates the bias in the spatial pattern of the pleces where local assembly men came from in Ukiha County, as well as the relationships between their personal histories and the regional economy. Through these analyses, this paper describes the relationship between landlordism and the politico-administrative differences among municipalities under the local government system in the Meiji Era from the spatial perspective.