Takasaki Itagami and Flour Industry

Some industries representing Takasaki city emerged in the Taisho Period(1912-1926). Those were Itagami (cardboard) and flour milling. The material used to make cardboard had been rice plant straw until then, however they used wheat straw instead. Takasaki city was a large producer of wheat, and the straw of wheat was sold at the half price that of the rice plant. Also, the wastes of straw bags and straw ropes used for transportation amounted to 2,000 kg a day. Inoue Yasusaburo, who was known for having constructed Byakui-Daikannon, established the Takasaki Itagami company in 1914 in light of these situations. The necessary water was supplied from the Naganozeki-Yosui (irrigation canal). However, when the company started running, it caused environmental pollution including water pollution and bad odor.

The area around Takasaki city had been a large producer of wheat since the middle of the Taisyo Period and accordingly, the flour milling industries were prospering. Takasaki City was also conveniently located in terms of public transportation. There were two big factories built near Takasaki Station: The Jomo-seifun company in 1919 at Asahi-cho, to the north of Takasaki Station, and the Takasaki factory of Toyo-seifun in 1919 in Shimodawa-machi, to the south of the station.

Moving Pictures

The Electric Power Industry which started at the end of Meiji Period, enriched and lit up the life of Takasaki residents. One of the new entertainments using electricity was a movie theater. The Denkikan was constructed at Yanagawa-cho in 1913 as the first theater in Takasaki city.

Murakami Kijo

Murakami Kijo, the Haiku poet, was born in Edo in 1865, and moved to Takasaki city in 1873. He was in sympathy with Masaoka Shiki and joined his group to publish the first edition of 'Hototogisu', the famous Haiku magazine. He published the collection of Kijo in 1917. He was a highly esteemed poet both within the prefecture and nationally. He died on September 17th, 1938 at the age of 73.

Bruno Taut

The house of German architect, Bruno Taut still remains in Takasaki. He was born in Germany and came to Japan in August, 1933 seeking refuge from the Nazi ethnic cleansing campaigns. He was invited by Inoue Fusaichiro to be a temporary employee at the Prefectural Takasaki Craft Factory in August of 1934. He produced furniture, wooden items and lacquer crafts during that time combining Japanese and European style. He had stayed at Senshintei at Shourinzan for two years and three months until 1936. Senshintei is a one story tea-ceremony-style-house and is a prefecturally designated historical site. Bruno Taut left for Turkey on December 24th, 1938.

Financial Crisis

The Showa Period began with severe recession. A banking crisis occurred in 1923 and many companies and banks went bankrupt. Takasaki city was not immune from the situation. People tried very hard to restore business conditions.

In Takasaki, the first Ebisuko market was held on November 19th and 20th 1929 at the local shopping area to break through the recession. The catch phrase of the market was "To sell or to give". Floats parading in the city and some performances entertained the visitors. The market became a special event of the northern Kanto area.

The farmers were also greatly damaged by the recession. To save the life of farmers, the establishment of a pork processing factory was established in 1936 to produce ham in cooperation with farmers. The Gunma Farming Animal Processing Association was formed, and the farmers in Shibukawa, Maebashi, Gunma-gun and Kita Gunma as well as in Takasaki joined the association. The factory was constructed in Suehiro-cho and Katsumata Kiroku was invited from the agricultural school in Gotenba as the person in charge of producing ham. The ham produced at the factory was labeled Takasaki Ham. It was sold under a direct management system, and was especially sold to Takasaki Squad No.15 Regiment. This is how Takasaki Ham got started.

The Building of Byakui-Kannon

The construction of the Byakui-Kannon ("White Robed Goddess of Mercy") was started in 1935 by Inoue Yasusaburo, and finished on October of the next year. The project was made possible by his own private funds.

The Purposes of Building Byakui-Kannon

(1) To establish Takasaki City as the sightseeing spot.
(2) To hold a memorial service to the fallen soldiers of the Takasaki Squadron No.15 Regiment.
(3) To encourage people to think of themselves as national citizens.