The "Series of Domain Stories" is published by Gendai Shokan, a publishing company located in Iidabashi, Tokyo.
The publishing activity is based on the principle of “not limiting knowledge to experts, but conveying it in an easy-to-understand manner”.
It conveys information about various domains from the end of the Edo period, from the Matsumae Domain and Hachinohe Domain in the north to the Satsuma Domain and Goto Domain in the south, and as of July 2023, 65 volumes out of a total of 276 volumes (including 2 supplementary volumes) have been published.
The "Series of Domain Stories: Okayama Domain" is filled with the charm and historical anecdotes of the "Okayama Domain," which had its administrative headquarters in the present-day Okayada area of Mabi, Kurashiki City, and was published in April 2023.
I was able to speak with the author, community development researcher Imazu Kai, about the Okayama Domain and the Okayada area of Mabi, Kurashiki City, which suffered significant damage from the heavy rain in July 2018.
I will introduce the "Series of Domain Stories: Okayama Domain" written by Imazu.
What is the Okayama Domain?
The "Okayama Domain" was established as a tozama (outer) daimyo domain by Tokugawa Ieyasu in July of the first year of Genna (1615), granting approximately 10,000 koku of territory in Bitchu Province, including the Kakehashi District, as well as regions in Mino Province, Settsu Province, and Kawachi Province to Itō Nagazane.
The governance by the Itō clan lasted for ten generations and continued for over 250 years until the abolition of the domain system in the fourth year of Meiji (1871).
The "Okayama Domain" encompassed not only the present-day Okayada area of Mabi, Kurashiki City, but also parts of Tamashima in Kurashiki City, Soja City, and even distant areas such as Ibi District in Gifu Prefecture and Yao City in Osaka Prefecture.
▼ The Okayada administrative headquarters (Miyama residence) was relocated by the fifth lord, Itō Nagahira, in 1701, and is now the Okayada Elementary School in Kurashiki City.
▼ A simple location of the Okayada Elementary School, where the Okayama Domain's administrative headquarters was located, until the abolition of the domain system in 1871.
Interview with Imazu Kai, author of "Series of Domain Stories: Okayama Domain"
The author, Imazu, currently resides outside Okayama Prefecture.
I asked about the background of the writing, his research during his university and graduate school years, the introduction of the Okayama Domain, and the damage caused by the heavy rain in July 2018 in the Mabi area of Kurashiki City.
The trigger for writing "Series of Domain Stories: Okayama Domain"
Can you tell us about the trigger for writing?
Imazu
One of the reasons I became responsible for the "Okayama Domain" was the recommendation I received from Koji Yahata, who is also the author of the "Fukuyama Domain" in the same series.
Although I received the recommendation, my own area of expertise is not history, but community development and urban and regional management.
I had always wondered if it was okay for someone like me, who has no experience writing a specialized historical book, to take on this task.
So, it wasn't immediately decided that you would write after receiving the recommendation.
Imazu
After several exchanges with the publisher, they explained to me carefully that "the purpose of this book is to enhance affection for each region and create opportunities for people to take pride in their community."
If that is the case, I thought it would connect to the field of community development that I specialize in, and although I was inexperienced, I decided to write this book, which is the background of my decision.
Encounter with the Okayada area of Mabi, Kurashiki City
Have you had an interest in the Okayama Domain or a connection to the Okayada area for a long time?
Imazu
Actually, my research during my university and graduate school years was focused on the Mabi area of Kurashiki City.
The theme was, simply put, research on the structure of regional attachment awareness and the approach to community development in the Okayada area.
As you may know, the Okayada area was the evacuation site of the detective novelist Seishi Yokomizo.
In my master's thesis, I regarded Seishi Yokomizo and his works as regional resources rooted in the community, and after organizing the relationship between each regional resource and regional attachment awareness, I made policy proposals (though that sounds grand).
Did you face any difficulties while writing?
Imazu
Because the "Okayama Domain" is a small domain, there are few publicly available historical materials, and due to the impact of flooding, there were also losses of materials, making it difficult to collect information.
Moreover, when comparing the collected materials, there were often slight discrepancies in the descriptions, and I had to be careful about how to write to avoid misunderstandings. I spent a lot of time organizing the information, including visiting the area and speaking with local people, which was frankly quite challenging.
However, when the completed book was picked up and read by the people of the Okayada area, I was grateful to receive many positive comments.
- I didn't know that the Okayada area used to be like this.
- If it were a difficult academic paper or something like that, it would be hard to approach. Even if I'm not that interested in history, I'm glad it's an easy-to-read book that allows me to learn about my own community.
- It's written in a way that even students can read, covering the flow of history and the Okayama Domain and its surrounding areas.
Understanding the climate and culture of Mabi through writing
I heard that there were moments when you felt the climate and culture connected to the Okayama Domain.
Imazu
I felt that the climate and culture of the Okayama Domain era are properly inherited to the present day.
For example, a wide road called Okayada Shinmichi connects the riverside of Okayada (Mabi-cho Okayada) and Okayada (Mabi-cho Okayada).
Although it has changed from a dirt road to asphalt, it still retains the appearance of the past and is used as a road today.
Additionally, while looking at privately held materials, I realized that many traces of the past still remain.
I also heard stories like, "My ancestors were samurai of the Okayama Domain." Many people who were involved with the domain still live in the Okayada area.
It was a moment when I could feel that history and people are connected.
Records of flooding have also been preserved.
Imazu
Regarding flooding, for example, parts of the Kagura Dote from that time still remain, and there are well-preserved documents indicating that this area has repeatedly experienced flooding since the Edo period.
Simply doing hard infrastructure development will not prevent all disasters; the forces of nature are likely stronger.
It is difficult to resist nature, and when considering what is most important for disaster prevention, I believe that protecting lives is the most important.
It is important for the people living in each region to regard disasters as one of the characteristics of the region.
For example, it is important to first understand that this area is prone to flooding from river overflows and to think about how to escape during such times.
I believe that the heavy rain in July 2018 did not just happen by chance.
While some may not have known the records left by their predecessors, it is important to convey that this region has historically been prone to flooding in order to protect many lives and properties.
About "Series of Domain Stories: Okayama Domain"
Please tell us the recommended points about "Series of Domain Stories: Okayama Domain" that you would like people to read.
Imazu
There are three main points I particularly want you to read.
Point 1: History of Flooding and Water Control in the Okayama Domain
This relates to the flooding I have been discussing.
It is mainly covered in Chapter 4, but since flooding is an inseparable theme in unraveling the history of the Mabi region and the Okayama Domain, I wrote extensively on this topic.
For that reason, I hope this is the part you will read the most.
Point 2: Wisdom of Our Predecessors
Additionally, regarding this flooding, I would like readers to learn about the measures that people at that time took to protect their lives and livelihoods.
For example, the improvements made to the Oda River by Okayama Domain samurai Moriya Kanbee, and the wisdom of our predecessors are also worth reading about.
Point 3: Many Great Figures and Wise People Emerged
The Okayama Domain is a small domain with a yield of just over 10,000 koku.
I think it may not be very well-known nationwide.
However, many great figures and wise people, such as Koshoken Furukawa and Kyuen Uraike, have emerged, far more than can be introduced in a book.
I hope you will pay attention to this aspect as well.
One possible reason for this could be the geographical factors of the Okayama Domain.
Historically, the Okayama Domain has been a transportation hub for both land and water, having the barge traffic of the Takahashi River and being a post town on the old Sanyo Road at Kawabe-juku.
When goods come and go, people also come and go.
This means that various cultures and technologies likely traveled back and forth as well.
The prosperity of the Okayama Domain as a transportation hub may have contributed to the emergence of many great figures and wise people.
The "Okayama Domain" in the Stories of Seishi Yokomizo
I heard that you like the detective novels (modern mystery novels) of Seishi Yokomizo.
Imazu
I apologize for letting my personal preferences come into play, but I enjoy Seishi Yokomizo and detective and mystery novels, and this was one of the reasons I became interested in the Okayada area.
In fact, there are often references to the Okayama Domain in Yokomizo's works.
During World War II, Yokomizo evacuated to this area to escape the war damage, and he incorporated information gained from interactions with the local residents into his works.
The "Okayama Domain" also appears in the world of his stories, which I find very interesting.
I would be happy if this perspective could attract interest from others as well.
Please tell us the charm of Seishi Yokomizo in one word.
Imazu
It is quite difficult to express in one word.
In 1946, after the war, Seishi Yokomizo published "The Honjin Murder Case".
This is how the famous detective Kindaichi Kosuke came into the world.
During the war, many books were subject to censorship, and there was a period when detective novels could not be published.
It was an era when Edogawa Rampo famously said, "Complete annihilation of detective novels".
In a time when it was difficult to publish detective novels, Seishi Yokomizo had been holding onto his ideas, evacuated to the Okada area, welcomed the end of the war, and finally became able to write novels freely.
I think he was able to release the ideas he had been nurturing all at once.
Among them, the memorable work "The Honjin Murder Case" was born as the first detective novel after the war.
In the Japanese mystery world, I believe that "Edogawa Rampo" and "Seishi Yokomizo" are the two great pillars.
If Rampo is the creator of Japanese mystery, then Yokomizo was like a nurturer.
On the other hand, regarding Seishi Yokomizo's personality, it is often said that even after becoming famous, he did not take a haughty attitude and had a gentle and mild character.
I feel that this aspect is one of the charms of Yokomizo as a person.
I want you to know a page of the charm and history of the Okada area in Mabi
Finally, please tell us about your feelings behind "Series of Domain Stories: Okada Domain".
Imazu
For example, those who study history at universities might say, "What is this thin book?".
However, I have poured my heart and soul into writing it.
Moreover, the original purpose of this book is, as I have repeated, to serve as an opportunity for people to know the charm of the region.
Now, it is part of "Kurashiki City", but I hope that many people will read this book as a starting point to learn about the history of the region called Mabi and to utilize that knowledge in the present and future.
Conclusion
During the interview, Mr. Imazu's sincere and honest personality and his gentle tone, which values every word, left a strong impression.
I believe that it was because Mr. Imazu had a close relationship with the region through his research since university that he was able to take the time and pour his heart into writing "Series of Domain Stories: Okada Domain".
This book fulfills Mr. Imazu's wish to "let people know the charm of the Okada area in Mabi, formerly Okada Domain, and to serve as an opportunity for that".
In 2023, five years after the heavy rain in July 2018.
While reflecting on the Mabi area, why not take this opportunity to learn about the climate, culture, and wisdom from our predecessors that connect to the Okada Domain?
