Open Secret - Sequel Trial that fell into Trap - Series 2 (Unveiling the Hidden Mystery of Japan's Best Hiba Forest)				Japanese
９４．第三者委員会という儀式 2025/1/23 ９３．チンドン屋さん 2025/1/22 ９２．人手不足 2025/1/8 ９１．もう一つの公然の秘密 2024/12/5 ９０．ヒバ林の会 2024/12/2 ８９．わけの分からぬ 家族信託―その２ 2024/9/27 ８８．公然の秘密―続編 罠にはまった裁判―連載１４ （日本一のヒバ林の 隠された謎に迫る） 2024/9/3 ８７．公然の秘密―続編 罠にはまった裁判―連載１３ （日本一のヒバ林の 隠された謎に迫る） 2024/9/3 ８６．公然の秘密―続編 罠にはまった裁判―連載１２ （日本一のヒバ林の 隠された謎に迫る） 2024/9/2 ８５．公然の秘密―続編 罠にはまった裁判―連載１１ （日本一のヒバ林の 隠された謎に迫る） 2024/8/22 ８４．公然の秘密―続編 罠にはまった裁判―連載１０ （日本一のヒバ林の 隠された謎に迫る） 2024/8/9 ８３．公然の秘密―続編 罠にはまった裁判―連載９ （日本一のヒバ林の 隠された謎に迫る） 2024/8/5 ８２．公然の秘密―続編 罠にはまった裁判―連載８ （日本一のヒバ林の 隠された謎に迫る） 2024/7/26 ８１．公然の秘密―続編 罠にはまった裁判―連載７ （日本一のヒバ林の 隠された謎に迫る） 2024/7/22 ８０．公然の秘密―続編 罠にはまった裁判―連載６ （日本一のヒバ林の 隠された謎に迫る） 2024/7/16 ７９．公然の秘密―続編 罠にはまった裁判―連載５ （日本一のヒバ林の 隠された謎に迫る） 2024/7/3 ７８．公然の秘密―続編 罠にはまった裁判―連載４ （日本一のヒバ林の 隠された謎に迫る） 2024/6/18 ７７．公然の秘密―続編 罠にはまった裁判―連載３ （日本一のヒバ林の 隠された謎に迫る） 2024/6/5 ７６．和をもって貴しとせず ーその２ 2024/6/3 ７５．Open Secret - Sequel Trial that fell into Trap - Series 2 (Unveiling the Hidden Mystery of Japan's Best Hiba Forest) 5/24/2024 ７４．An Open Secret-Sequel Trial that fell into Trap-Part 1 (Unveiling the Hidden Mysteries of Japan's Best Hiba Forest) 5/14/2024 ７３．スポーツ賭博 2024/3/22 ７２．Open Secret (The Phantom Japan's Best Hiba Forest) 1/12/2024 ７１．公職選挙法違反 2023/1/25 ７０．悪い奴ほどよく眠る 2021/5/27 ６９．和を以て貴しとせず 2021/3/16 ６８．神々の葛藤 2021/3/1 ６７．パチンコ店が宗教施設に 2021/2/12 ６６．日米の裁判の差 2021/1/22 ６５．ネットでの中傷 2020/10/23 ６４．素人と専門家 2020/7/29 ６３．税金の垂れ流し 2018/2/26 ６２．区分所有建物の 　　　固定資産税 2017/7/28 ６１．わけの分からぬ家族信託 2017/3/8 ６０．呆れるしかない広島訪問 2016/5/31 ５９．さらば民主党 2016/3/28 ５８．越後湯沢の惨状 2016/3/7 ５７．権威を疑う 2016/1/25 ５６．年間２００億円 2015/12/15 ５５．小仏トンネル 2015/8/6 ５４．18歳で選挙権 2015/4/20	Before delving into the content of this matter, I have attached a current map from the Geospatial Information Authority of Japan as Appendix 1 to this document to help readers understand where and how this hiba forest is located. The area indicated with handwritten diagonal lines on the map represents this hiba forest. Keeping this diagram in mind while reading should facilitate understanding. Now, let's get into the contents. Protection and Cultivation of Hiba by the Nanbu-Han During the Edo period, the Shimokita Peninsula was under the jurisdiction of the Nanbu-Han (later the Morioka-Han). Hiba was cherished as an excellent material for construction and furniture, and it was carefully protected and cultivated. Local forest guardians were appointed in each village to manage the forests and prevent illegal logging. The Sakai family was entrusted with the guardianship of the forest in Sai village, with each head of the family bearing the name Genpachi. The head during the Meiji Restoration was the 17th Genpachi. Although many old documents have been lost due to circumstances such as fires, some surviving materials include the "Saimura Forest Guardians Map," which records the state of hiba growth during the Edo period. Remarkably, it shows the number of hiba trees in each mountain, indicating that forest management was thorough even in the Edo period, comparable to modern times. According to Mr. Sakai and local historical records, during the famine that struck the Tohoku region in the Kansei era (1791), the then-head of the Sakai family distributed rice from his storehouse to the villagers, preventing any deaths from starvation. In recognition of this good deed, the clan rewarded him with the name "Genemon" and granted him the hiba forest on the left bank of Ishiyamazawa upstream of the Ushitaki River. Although there are no direct documents attesting to this grant, a close look at the "Forest Guardians Map" reveals that the hiba trees on the west bank of Ishiyamazawa are deliberately omitted (Document No. 1 "Forest Guardians Map," items 10 to 14). According to Mr. Sakai, since this hiba forest was granted to the Sakai family and thus became their private hiba forest, it was excluded from the areas managed as forest guardians, which is why nothing is recorded there. The Land Ownership and Tax System Reforms in the Meiji Era With the advent of the Meiji era, the land and forest ownership system and the tax system were fundamentally changed, leading to subsequent confusion over the ownership of the hiba forest. Aza-Ushitakikawame, Sai Village, Shimokita District, Lot Number 130 In the Meiji era, private land ownership was formalized, and each piece of land was assigned a lot number with a corresponding land certificate. This system was uniformly applied nationwide, and Sai Village was no exception. The hiba forest on the west bank of Ishiyamazawa was assigned lot number 130, and a land certificate was issued to the 17th Genpachi Sakai. However, the area of this lot was only 1 tan 6 se 2 bu (about 330 tsubo or 1,089 square meters), a very small size. Although unimaginable today, back then, due to sudden reforms in the land ownership system and the tax collection system (land tax), many people received land certificates for less area than they actually owned out of fear and dislike for the new systems. In forest areas where boundaries with neighboring lands were not easily visible, particularly where the land bordered state-owned forests, it was common to register (apply for) extremely small areas. The authorities, including the Forestry Agency, often turned a blind eye. The fact that the Sakai family was a prominent and influential family in the local community likely played a role in this leniency (Document No. 2 "To-o Nippo Article"). However, this mutual complacency later became a source of confusion, a theme central to this series, which will be discussed in more detail later. Additionally, when the land registry system was later established, the accompanying map depicted lot number 130 as a piece of land that, to the north, bordered the old road running southeast from the mouth of the Ushitaki settlement to the interior of the peninsula (Nodai), and to the east, it bordered Ishiyamazawa, a tributary of the Ushitaki River (Document No. 3 the reduced and detailed versions of the "Land Registry Map for Ushitakikawame"). However, curiously, in the vicinity of this hiba forest, the map omitted the representation of the Ushitaki River (to be indicated by a blue line), which later became a cause of dispute. To elaborate on the Ushitaki area from the Edo period to the Meiji era, it is hard to imagine now, but back then, the Sakai family not only held the position of forest guardians entrusted by the Nanbu Clan but also owned several Kitamaebune ships. They widely handled marine products and the specialty hiba from the Shimokita region, earning a reputation as wealthy merchants known in Edo and Osaka. The Sakai family’s old documents, detailing these activities, are preserved in Tokyo Metropolitan library and elsewhere. These facts indicate not only the prosperity of the Sakai family at the time but also the flourishing state of the Ushitaki settlement itself. The Ushitaki River, running alongside a road that transported hiba logs from the interior to Ushitaki Port, played a crucial role as an industrial lifeline. Thus, it is unimaginable that the Ushitaki River and the road to Nodai, which were vital for this industry, would be significantly misrepresented (in the land registry map), as later court judgments acknowledged. This is one of the central themes of this series, which will be discussed in more detail in the future. -To be continued- (This English translation is based on Chat-GPT) No English translation will be provided for the later series.
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