著者

樋口 雄彦

出版者

国立歴史民俗博物館

雑誌

国立歴史民俗博物館研究報告 = Bulletin of the National Museum of Japanese History (ISSN:02867400)

巻号頁・発行日

vol.203, pp.161-293, 2016-12

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江戸幕府において天領の治水行政を所轄したのは勘定奉行をトップとする勘定所であり、その配下として実地で防災・復興などの土木工事を担当したのが普請役という下級官吏であった。普請役には純粋に技術者だった者がいた半面、工事に従事する農民を管理・監督するだけの行政官だった者も混在していたと考えられる。維新後、明治政府は治河使・土木司・土木寮・土木局といった担当部門を会計官・民部省・工部省・大蔵省・内務省などの下に位置づけ、治水を遂行するとともに、西洋からの新たな技術導入をはかった。新政府の直轄県で治水を担当した下級官吏の中には幕府時代に普請役だった者がおり、政権交代を経た後も現場レベルでは人的継続性が見られた。七〇万石の一大名として存続した、江戸幕府の後身たる静岡藩では、領内に富士川・安倍川・大井川・天竜川という大河があったことから、藩政機構の中に水利路程掛(後に水利郡政掛・水利郡方掛と改称)を置き、治水に意を注いだ。ただし、実際に領内各地で展開された治水技術は、蛇籠・大聖牛・牛枠といった竹木石を材料とした伝統的な工法にとどまり、近世との大きな違いは見られなかった。その一方、同掛には幕府時代に勘定所に属した者や普請役など、古くからの民政部門の経験者が身を置いた一方、海軍士官として西洋の科学技術を学んだ人物が幹部に就任するなど、近代化への志向が見られた。廃藩置県に前後して静岡藩の人材は明治政府に吸収されていったが、水利路程掛の出身者には中央省庁や府県において土木・治水行政を任された者もいた。また、同じ旧幕臣・静岡藩出身者としては、同藩の藩校沼津兵学校で身に付けた洋算・測量などを武器に土木寮の技師となり、お雇い外国人とともに仕事をしたような、より若い世代の一群の存在が生まれた。さらに、同校から工部大学校に進学し高等教育を受けた者の中からは、本格的な土木技術の専門家が輩出した。伝統工法にもとづき幕府の治水行政を担当した者たちと幕末に西洋近代科学を学び取った幕府海軍士官たちは静岡藩で合流し、水利路程掛や沼津兵学校を経由して明治政府へと引き継がれ、世代交代や新陳代謝を繰り返しつつ、真に近代的な意味での治水行政の担当者たる土木官僚・土木技術者へとつながっていったのである。In the Edo Shogunate Government, the Kanjō-sho (Treasury Department), led by the Kanjō-bugyō (Chief Treasurer), was responsible for flood control administration in the shogunal demesnes. Under the control of the Department, the low-ranking government officials called Fushin-yaku were in charge of construction works for disaster prevention and rehabilitation. They seem to have consisted not only of engineers but also of administrative officials who only supervised farmers engaged in construction works.After the Meiji Restoration, the Government of Japan set up departments in charge of civil engineering and construction, such as Chika-shi, Doboku-shi, Doboku-ryō, and Doboku-kyoku, under the supervision of the Kaikei-kan (Ministry of Accountant), Minbu-shō (Ministry of Public Affairs), Kōbu-shō (Ministry of Public Works), Ōkura-shō (Ministry of Finance), and Naimu-shō (Ministry of Home Affairs) to enhance flood control. Moreover, the Meiji Government strived to adopt new technologies from the West. In the meantime, some of the low-ranking government officials who had worked as Fushin-yaku in the Edo period continued to engage in flood control projects in prefectures under the direct control of the new Meiji Government, which indicates the retention of human resources at the field level even after the regime change.The Shizuoka Domain, established for the ex-shogun who was demoted to a daimyo with revenues of 700,000 koku, set up the department of water resources management (originally named as Suiri-rotei-kakari, later renamed as Suiri-gunsei-kakari, and then renamed again as Suiri-koorikata-kakari) under the local government to enhance flood control since there were large rivers within the territory, such as the Fuji, Abe, Ōi, and Tenryū Rivers. Though in the domain, technocrats only built simple wood, bamboo and/or stone structures for flood prevention, such as those called jakago, daiseigyū, and ushiwaku, by using traditional techniques similar to those used in early modern times, and seem to have strived for modernization. This is also illustrated by the fact that the department of water resources management not only consisted of government officials who had engaged in public affairs for years under the Edo Shogunate Government, such as Fushin-yaku and other officials of the Kanjō-sho, but also hired as senior officials those who had learned Western scientific knowledge and skills to become naval officers.Around at the time of haihan-chiken (the abolition of feudal domains and the establishment of prefectures), most officials of the Shizuoka Domain were assimilated into the Meiji Government. Some of those who had worked for the department of water resources management were appointed as civil engineering/flood control administrators at the central and prefectural governments. Meanwhile, among the ex-shogunate officials and the Shizuoka Government who had learned Western arithmetic knowledge and measurement skills in the Numazu Military Academy established by the Shizuoka Domain, some young officials served as engineers at the Doboku-ryō (Department of Civil Engineering), working with foreign specialists employed by the Government of Japan. Moreover, some of the students graduating from the academy and going on to the Imperial College of Engineering to further their education became professional civil engineers.Thus, the shogunate flood control administrators equipped with traditional engineering techniques and the shogunate naval officers armed with modern Western scientific knowledge were merged together in the Shizuoka Domain. After working for the department of water resources management or studying in the Numazu Military Academy, they were assimilated into the Meiji Government. Then, despite the change of generations and the turnover of personnel, their knowledge and skills were transferred to civil engineering bureaucrats and engineers in charge of truly modern flood control.一部非公開情報あり