Nakagawa Town, Otaru, and the Itatani Family The story of Nakagawa-machi and the Itatani family of Otaru begins when Itatani Miyokichi (1st generation, 1857-1924) acquired over 1,300 hectares of state-owned forest land in 1911 (Meiji 44). Miyokichi was born in Kariya-gun, Echigo Province (present-day Kashiwazaki City, Niigata Prefecture), and after training in Fukuyama (present-day Matsumae-machi), he moved to Otaru and became an independent rice and seafood merchant. He later engaged in rice milling, but using ships he purchased for transporting his own goods, he entered the shipping business and achieved great success. He acquired the state-owned land in Nakagawa-machi during this period. The Itatani family, who became one of the wealthiest families in Japan, expanded their business to include department stores and private railways under the leadership of the second Miyayoshi, who took over the family name at the end of the Taisho era. The former Itatani Residence, which symbolizes the Itatani family's wealth and still exists in Higashinumachi, Otaru, was completed in 1927 by the second Miyayoshi. A statue of the second Miyayoshi still stands in the courtyard of Nagahashi Municipal Junior High School (formerly Otaru Municipal Otaru Junior High School), which he donated. ITAYA SPIRIT - Vessels that bear the mark of time - When trees transported from the Itaya forest take on new forms through the hands of creators, the history of Otaru merchants is revived. This collaboration project, "ITAYA SPIRIT - Vessels that Mark Time -," is a collaboration between UNGA↑, which promotes the concept of "Giving Otaru," and Nakagawa-machi, a town of forests. Did you know that there is a place called "Itatani" in Nakagawa-cho, in the northern part of Hokkaido, where forests account for 87% of the town? Itatani Miyakichi, who made a name for himself as an Otaru merchant, founded a business in Otaru, succeeded in the shipping industry, and greatly influenced the prosperity of Otaru for two generations. In 2022, Otaru celebrates its 100th anniversary as a city. We will present the story of this Otaru merchant, who greatly influenced the development of Otaru and also left his mark on Nakagawa-cho in northern Hokkaido, along with works created using wood harvested from that area. Participating Creators: Tetsuto Kudoh / Shinichiro Umehara / Hiroaki Shimizu / Hiroto Maeda / Ayako Takahashi *The "ITAYA SPIRIT - Vessels that Mark Time" exhibition has ended.