Plea to Save Tomonoura！
Proposers
Takekuni Ikeda Nobuhiko Obayashi Alex Kerr Takashi Ito
Hidenobu Jinnai Carolyn Funk Masaru Maeno C.W. Nichol
The Crisis Facing Tomonoura
“Tomonoura” is a beautiful port town of historical significance. The port town now faces a grave crisis. Despite local protest, the erection of a bridge requiring land reclamation work will begin as part of a project to construct a parking area and a road across Tomonoura port. The Hiroshima Prefecture and Fukuyama City have been eager to apply to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport for construction permission to begin this project as early as the start of FY2007.
Centrally located along the Seto Inland Sea, the Tomonoura port was depicted many centuries ago in a Manyo poem. Since olden times, ships have moored in Tomonoura waiting for the sea currents to change. Korean envoys even praised its beauty as the “most beautiful, picturesque scenery in Japan.” The view of the Seto Inland Sea from the port, the welcoming night lights, and the setting of the quiet, comforting rows of houses can only be described as scenes adored by the Japanese.
Now we hear the cries of Tomonoura.
The only historic port to retain its original character
The value of Tomonoura or “Tomo” as a cultural asset and port stands out. When we look around the world, we see that other ports have changed over time and very few have managed to retain their original character. Only Tomo features all of the elements of a Japanese port in the modern era, such as the stair-type wharf called gangi, its night lights and pier, the ship repair site called tadeba, and lookouts. The historic town view is also well conserved. The thought of losing the only perfectly retained historic port in the country and its cultural scenery is devastating.
Opinions by residents and experts
“Group Loves Tomo” is a citizens’ group fighting the proposed bridge construction and land reclamation; this group has for many years energetically conducted activities to conserve the overall port view and town scenery as well as to rehabilitate a more attractive and vigorous community. Academic surveys, town creation workshops conducted by experts, and national meetings have been held as part of their efforts to conserve the town. In 2000, more than 20,000 petition signatures were collected around the nation in an effort to support the conservation of the port and town. In addition, residents have proposed a mountain tunnel as a bypass route and have repeatedly requested local governments to set opportunities to comprehensively examine this issue with city planning experts.
Development with special characteristics
Destroying a precious asset for the sake of immediate convenience through conventional-style development is an unwise policy in the long term. By pursuing a high quality development approach with special characteristics that take advantage of the natural environment and historic and cultural assets, we can pave the way for a more active local economy. Take, for example, the small Italian port towns of Portovenere and Costiera Amalfitara, which have been designated as World Heritage Sites. These towns are blessed with an abundance of nature and history. Using modern sensitivities to creatively take advantage of scenery that integrates the ocean and the appeal of space, these port towns shine as tourist and cultural areas that have reinvigorated their local economies. This type of fundamental change in thinking is essential for the development of Tomo.
Heritage common to all people
Members of ICOMOS (International Conservation on Monuments and Sites), which is an advisory body of UNESCO with a strong voice in selecting World Heritage Sites, traveled to Tomonoura. They gave high marks to the town and port as assets common to all people. In addition, recommendations to conserve Tomonoura have been presented repeatedly at ICOMOS general meetings and academic committee meetings. This means that the registration of Tomonoura as a World Heritage Site has become more realistic for the Tomonoura residents actively engaged in this undertaking.
Residents’ group
In this background, Hiroshima Prefecture and Fukuyama City continue to pursue the plan that was laid out more than 20 years ago and have initiated the last administrative procedures to begin their land reclamation.
If we want to create a vigorous town by protecting Tomonoura, we first have to file for a legal restraining order to halt the bridge construction. At the same time, it is absolutely essential that we arouse public opinion nationwide and then wait for a political decision. This is the only option left. Various groups of local residents who will suffer directly if this project is allowed to proceed have united and risen up against the proposed land reclamation and bridge construction and have formed the “residents’ group to register Tomo as a World Heritage Site and to create a town with vigor.” It filed suit against Hiroshima Prefecture and Fukuyama City, which intend to start land reclamation and bridge and road construction, and is working hard to realize a more attractive and vigorous local community by conserving the true historic and cultural value of Tomo for future generations. We believe this is the only option left for the residents’ group.
Support group
The activities of the residents’ group are not simply to oppose the land reclamation and bridge construction, but to actively confront the serious issue of whether the port and town can be conserved as assets for the future ? for Tomo, for Japan, and for the world. To address this issue we decided to establish a nationwide support group to assist the residents’ group.
We ask for your understanding of the support group’s objective and for your participation as a group member. Along with the proposers, we sincerely welcome your donations to support the residents’ group in their activities to create a more attractive town and to assist with their legal challenge.
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