Changing Locations of Ports in Sendai Bay

The first systematic treatment of the location of ports was made in 1934 by Erich A. Kautz in his Das Standortsproblem der Seehafen. Kautz stated that the location of ports was originally decided mainly by proximity to steamer lanes, but that, after the development of capitalism, the factors determining the location of ports changed and that steamer lanes were established by the ports which, in turn, were built to meet the demands of the hinterlands. In Japan, the hinterland so affected the location of ports as to spur the construction of artificial harbor in order to overcome the natural, geographical drawbacks of the locations.This paper examines the factors influencing the changing location of ports in Sendai Bay. During the area of sailing boats, ports were located according to geographical suitability and proximity to sea routes but gradually the influence of hinterland conditions predominated. With the development of steam-powered steel vessels, and the correlative workings of natural, industrial, and political-economic factors, the birth of modern ports took place. Three key elements were prticularly important in the changing location of ports in Sendai Bay: changes in the means of transportation: changes in the functional requirements of seaports; and changes in the natural conditions.Nine ports are studied in this paper, following the general outline indicated by Kautz. Kautz' ideas are fairly satisfactory corroborated by the conditions and development of ports in Sendai Bay.