DEVELOPMENT AND SCENIC PRESERVATION OF ROKKO MOUNTAIN IN 1930S

This paper examines the process of development and scenic preservation in Rokko Mountain in 1930s. In this study, it is clarified that Kobe Municipal Assembly and Kobe city led road-construction on the mountain with the intention of tourism and residential development, with provided property ward forests and a national subsidy. On the other hand, Hyogo Prefecture planned to designate Rokko Mountain as Scenic Areas under the City Planning Act with the viewpoint of scenic preservation and flood-control. These two actors were at loggerheads over designation of Scenic Areas. Kobe city gained acceptance their plan and drafted the individual development plan with the help of scholar’s authority. This paper describes concrete development plans and a movement for scenic preservation based on careful consideration with enormous amount of information on historical documents.