In general, Shozo Tanaka is a man of good faith who risked his life to stand up to the government and corporations to seek a solution to the damage caused by Ashio Copper Mine poisoning, and who ultimately continued to oppose the construction of the Watarase Reservoir. Most people seem to agree that this is the case, but is such a uniform evaluation sufficient? Since I have an easy-going personality, I would like to consider it from a multifaceted perspective. I tried to write this very concisely, but I apologize for the long message. ーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーー The area near the confluence of the Tone River and the Watarase River is a fairly low-lying area in the Kanto Plain, and due to the narrowing of the Edogawa branch entrance for the defense of Tokyo, the area suffered from flood damage almost every year. Meanwhile, from the middle of the Meiji era, mineral poisons leaked from the Furukawa Ashio Copper Mine upstream of the Watarase River began to flow into the Watarase River, causing devastating damage to the lakes and farmland in the downstream area. In the wake of Shozo Tanaka, a member of the local Diet from Sano, raising the issue of mine poisoning from the Ashio Copper Mine during a question session in the Diet, and Tanaka's direct appeal to Emperor Meiji, public opinion demanding a solution to the pollution problem rapidly grew. Ta. The government has determined that the nature of the mineral poisoning damage to neighboring farmland, including Yanaka Village, is that, in addition to the mineral poisoning from the copper mine, the waterlogging caused by the overflowing Watarase River is exacerbating the damage. In order to prevent flooding, in 1903 the government decided to ``build a large reservoir in Yanaka Village in the Watarase River Basin.'' [The following is a common theory] When the discussion changed from the mine poisoning issue to the flood control issue, the villagers of Yanaka were thrown into an uproar as they were forced out. Under the guidance of Shozo Tanaka, who had resigned as a member of the Diet and moved to Yanaka Village, Yanaka Village residents resisted, but the national and prefectural governments encouraged the villagers to leave the village in various ways. This is now a case of bullying on a national scale, with villages being forced to expand their flood damage by deliberately constructing levees that are prone to collapsing, and being forced to buy unusable drainage pumps and drowning them in debt. The last surviving villagers' houses were forcibly demolished by the government, and the village was scattered into small pieces. [Minority opinion starts here] Most of the above-mentioned myths are based on episodes from ``Yanaka Village Ruinshi'' (written at the request of Shozo Tanaka), the debut work of Kanson Arahata, a proletarian writer who also participated in the establishment of the Japanese Communist Party (especially national and prefectural governments). (For details on measures to prevent people from leaving their villages, etc.) Judging from Arahata's background, it is easy to assume that this book is biased as political propaganda. In 1897, before the decision was made to install the Watarase Reservoir, Koga Mine installed pollution prevention equipment at a cost of 1 million yen (approximately 20 billion yen in today's monetary terms) in response to an order from the government. Since then, it seems that new leaks of mineral poisons have been suppressed to some extent (although mineral poisons that leaked in the past still remain). After the mine installed pollution prevention equipment, local residents changed their petition to the government from halting mine operations to compensation for damages and flood control measures. In response, the government decided to construct a reservoir. In other words, the essence of Watarase Reservoir was a flood control measure (although the main premise was to prevent flood damage in Tokyo) in response to petitions from local residents. Furthermore, since the announcement of the Watarase Reservoir Project, there have been no petitions regarding flood control from residents outside of Yanaka Village, which shows that they have a certain level of appreciation for the government's measures. By using Yanaka Village, which has suffered extensive pollution damage and is difficult to rebuild, as a scapegoat, Oraga Village will be protected from flood damage. Isn't that what you thought? In other words, it was not just the pollution that pitted corporations/governments against residents, but also conflicts of interest between local residents that were a major factor. In this case, we may be able to see a side of him that cannot be expressed simply from the perspective of Shozo Tanaka being a man of justice (especially from the perspective of the neighbors and the residents of the lower reaches of the Tone River). From a schoolboy's perspective, Shozo Tanaka was not so much a righteous man who did his best to solve pollution problems despite government harassment, but rather the beginnings of a socialist citizen activist who was aligned with the later Narita struggle and the Henoko base relocation issue. My assessment is that it is. ーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーー I thought it would be inappropriate to write something like this in a review of a facility honoring Shozo Tanaka, but I think it is necessary to think from multiple perspectives, so please use this as a reference. Lastly, I would like to add that the people at the museum provided detailed explanations and were very kind.

I know this person because he was in a Japanese language textbook a long time ago. I stopped by out of curiosity, but admission is free. Once you have checked in, the guide will explain the handmade panel materials, which are easy to understand as they often use pictures and newspaper articles. Shozo Tanaka complained about the pollution caused by the Ashio Copper Mine. The site was about 100 km away from Tatebayashi City, but the damage reportedly spread down the Watarase River to the downstream area, including our office. It is also said that the Watarase Reservoir was once a waste disposal site, and that is why there is a memorial museum here. In the textbooks, there is a faint memory that Shozo made a direct appeal and was happy, but in reality, the pollution did not stop immediately, contaminated land remained, and it seems that there was no general consensus. When the government and large corporations start taking action based on national policy, there are whispers of sacrifices for the people, but nothing stops...I had the same impression as the current social situation.

It was on my way to Tatebayashi Station, but I didn't have the time or physical strength, so I gave up on it this time. I'm sure it was Kazo in Saitama Prefecture? I first learned about this person's name at the history museum there, but I'm interested so I'd definitely like to stop by next time.

This is until 16:00. It's located near Sushi Obana. When visiting Sushi Obana, I passed by this place many times, but it was closed, and on this day it was close to closing time, but I managed to find it. Admission is free. And they will provide you with a guide for free. I only know about Shozo Tanaka from what I learned from textbooks. He is Japan's leading natural conservation expert who fought against the Ashio Copper Mine pollution (Japan's first pollution). He is an amazing person, probably the most admirable person in Japan. I feel like this topic should be covered more in textbooks.

There is no parking lot, so please park at a nearby park parking lot. There is a detailed exhibit about the river surveys that Shozo conducted while walking around.

It's located within walking distance from the station. The entrance is solid, but it feels like a normal private house, so it might be a little confusing. The contents range from geography to history. I guess it's also unique that most of the work is done by hand rather than by computer. Personally, I thought it was a bit strange to connect it with the Great East Japan Earthquake. (Although the actual physical damage caused by the earthquake is good.)

A private house that was transferred to Tatebayashi City is being put on display by local volunteers, perhaps an NPO, to record the achievements of Shozo Tanaka. The explanations were so passionate that 50 minutes was not enough time. I want to visit again.

I was able to learn about the Ashio mine poisoning incident.

This is a memorial museum run by citizens. I learned that the mine poisoning in Ashio affected a wide area, including Tatebayashi City. I understand that the organizers have a lot to say about their thoughts, but it's a shame that the space is so small. By reading Saburo Shiroyama's spicy and sour essay, you will deepen your understanding of the exhibits.

無料で歴史を楽しめました。

手作り感満載の記念館で、説明もしてくれる。 お茶までいただいた。 研究者も訪れていた。

Admission is free. I parked my car at the nearby Otemachi City Free Parking Lot, but there was a private parking lot closer to Takashocho Nagayamon. The interpreter does a great job of explaining the history and what kind of person Shozo Tanaka was. It was easy to understand the spread of the poisonous water that flowed from the mountains to the plains and the positional relationships of the villages, using a map that showed elevation differences. I spoke briefly for about 40 minutes, but it was very interesting and interesting. If time permits, he will be willing to talk to me for 2 hours. I learned a lot and I'm glad I went.