Historic Buildings Survey in Takahashi, OKAYAMA
Takahashi is located on the upper stream of the Takahashi River, which flows through the west side of the central region of Okayama Prefecture, and was in the late Edo Period an important route for commercial activities and water transportation, linking all the region to its maritime port. The city is situated mainly on the east side of the river, and is nestled in anarrow basin encircled by mountains 500 to 600 meters high.
This summerizes the results of the survey of the historical townscape of Takahashi, as well as the main guidelines along which the task was carried out. Many buildings and town sections of incontestable value were brought to light, analyzed, and classified providing the basis for the proposed "General Preservation and Town Revitalization Plan." This plan is basically a draft of necessary measures not just to obtain a designation as National Cultural Property by the Agency for Cultural Affairs, but more than this to respond in a concrete way to the inhabitants needs and at the same time to provide the city with efficient guidelines for historical preservation in the future.
The old castle town of Takahashi has a historical heritage most worthy of preservation and restoration. As this is not enough to meet the needs of its citizens, it will be necessary to adapt the traditional street network and its system of use to our times, without losing the town identity fostered over the centuries. We hope that our research and suggestions may be of use in policy planning by its leaders.
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