Hokkaido Development - Hokkaido Development

Japanese: 北海道開拓 - ほっかいどうかいたく

It mainly refers to the social phenomenon of a large influx of population into Hokkaido from around the time of the Meiji Restoration to the Taisho period, which expanded farmland in the island while developing its mineral, water, and forest resources. Until the Meiji Restoration, Wajin settlements in Hokkaido were almost entirely limited to the Wajinchi area in southern Hokkaido (roughly referring to the area stretching from Hakodate to Kumaishi), and the rest of Ezo consisted only of Ainu settlements along the coastline and inland rivers, and fishing grounds run by Wajin merchants. Pioneering attempts at development included the shogunate's direct-managed farms and farmer transplantation projects after the opening of Hakodate port, but these remained small-scale.

Source: Heibonsha World Encyclopedia, 2nd Edition Information

Japanese:

おもに明治維新前後から大正期にかけて人口が大量に北海道に流入し，北海道に農耕地を拡大するとともに，鉱･水･林産資源を開発した社会現象を指す。明治維新までの北海道では，和人の定住地はほとんど道南の和人地(およそ箱(函)館近傍から熊石を結ぶ地帯を指す)に限られ，それ以外の蝦夷地には海岸線と内陸の河川に沿ったアイヌの集落と和人商人の経営する漁場（ぎよば）を見るだけであった。開拓の先駆的な試みとしては，箱館開港以後に幕府の試みた直営農場や農民移植の事業があったが，小規模なものにとどまった。

出典　株式会社平凡社世界大百科事典第２版について　情報

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