Bulletin du Centre Franco-Japonais d'Histoire des Sciences (Kitakyushu-Paris), Vol. 13(1): 37-49 (2019)
日仏科学史資料センター紀要

ISSN 1882-3548 (online), 1882-353X (CD-ROM)-ViewpointsHistory of Kitakyushu along with the great divergence in
Anthropocene: An implication for possible periodization
Kensuke Nakao1 and Tomonori Kawano1,2,3,4,5
1
2

Graduate School of Environmental Engineering, The University of Kitakyushu, Kitakyushu, Japan;

University of Florence LINV Kitakyushu Research Center (LINV@Kitakyushu), Kitakyushu, Japan;
3

Kitakyushu Museum of Natural History and Human History, Kitakyushu, Japan;
4

5

RIKEN Center for Advanced Photonics, Wako, Saitama, Japan;

Université Paris Diderot, Sorbonne Paris Cité, Institut des Energies de Demain, Paris, France(kawanotom@kitakyu-u.ac.jp)

Abstract
Anthropocene meaning the epoch of the human activity is a newly recognized geochronological epoch
starting from the beginning of industrial revolution, which became visible due to acceleration of theaccumulation of emitted materials or chemicals which are listed as the characteristic parameters of theepoch of anthropogenic impacts. Here, we view that the beginning of Anthropocene in Asia could be
dated back to the year of 1901 when the first steal making facility in the nation-owned Yawata SteelWorks was established in Kitakyushu area for the first time in Asia. Since then the Japan entered into
Anthropocene followed by other Asian countries with some decades of delay. In the present report,
based on the analyses of the demographic and industrial structural changes found in Kitakyushu city
as a model city where Asian Anthropocene originated, we propose a possible periodization of
Anthropocene in Japan starting from 1901, through trisection of the epoch into the early, the middle
and the late ages, corresponding to the half century prior to the second world war (WWII), the postWWII half century reflecting the great divergence of Anthropocene, and the decades post 2000
including coming future years characterized by intensive, greener, and sustainable human efforts,
respectively.
Keywords: Anthropocene, Industrial history, Japanese industrialization, Kitakyushu, Meiji era, SDGs
Nakao, K. and Kawano, T. (2019) History of Kitakyushu along with the great divergence in
Anthropocene: An implication for possible periodization. Bull. Cent. Fran. Jpn. Hist. Sci. 13(1): 37-49.
(1st version Received: June 22nd, 2019; final version received on 5th of September)

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Introduction:
Today, many believe that we live in the very lasting geochronological epoch called Holocene
starting from approximately 11,650 years ago (according to radio-carbon dating) up to the present time
(Walker et als., 2009). However, as discussed earlier in this journal (Kawano, 2019a), biologists andenvironmental chemistry specialists started to oppose the idea that Holocenic world is intactly
maintained without being disturbed by the mankind (through a variety of anthropogenic activities)
even under the conditions that industrial and traffic impacts on environments such as climate changes
are drastically increasing year by year. According to Eugene Stoermer, a biologist (Revkin, 2011) andPaul Crutzen, an environmental chemist (Steffen et al., 2011), today, our world seems to be positioned
in the middle of Anthropocene, a newest epoch started from the beginning of industrial revolution(dating back to the late 18th century).
Holocene is the epoch in which human species survived and thrived through hunting, fisheries,
and primitive agriculture. In contrast, the industrial revolution coincides the time that people inurbanized areas started non-vocational hunting, fishery and horticultural activities not for survival but
just for fun or as leisure (Kawano, 2015). In fact, the timing of industrial revolution also coincides
with the age of enlightenment movement in Europe (spanning from the late 17th to the early 19th
centuries, peaking at the late 18th century) through which interdisciplinary scholars seamlessly
covering mathematics, physics, chemistry, and biology cooperatively contributed to the developmentof modern science which could be the basis for the technological advancement required for industrial
revolution (Kawano, 2018).
Taken together, it is tempting to view that the way of thinking and the way of life have been
drastically altered by people basing in urbanized area. Not only because the acceleration ofurbanization (measured as the increase in urban population) is one of the key parameters of
Anthropocene (Steffen et al., 2011), the role of the urbanization helping maturation of the culture
reminds us of possible importance of the industries backed by the modern science emerged in theurbanized regions in Europe, when discussing the factor determining or triggering the onset of
Anthropocene.
In general, the growth of Anthropocenic parameters looks slow in the early phase following
industrial revolution in United Kingdom, until the end of the Second World War (WWII). However, it
was followed by notable increases in all of the parameters representing the progress of Anthropocene
such as the burst of global population and the anthropogenic changes in environments being
impressively accelerated after 1950s. By definition, Anthropocene is the epoch represented by theoverwhelming anthropogenic impacts on environments, thus the discussions on the futureenvironmental situations and human survivals must be inevitably related to the planned and controlled
growth of anthropogenic activities.

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Today, scientists actively warn that the Earth will be further challenged by increasing industrial
and traffic activities due to growing human populations, thus threatening the natural environment,
chiefly biodiversity and carbon sequestration (Abel et al., 2016; Marques et al., 2019). A number ofscientists are now encouraging the public and government actions for preventing the global climatechanges triggered by the anthropogenic impacts, based on the confidence shared among the certain
portion of scientists, that the growth of global human population and associated economic activity
could be gently lowered by fully implementing the eco-friendly actions and sustainable developmental
goals (SDGs) proposed by United Nations (Abel et al., 2016; Kawano, 2019a).
Kitakyushu city is the Asia’s first city introducing the heavy industries chiefly the first modern
steel works installed in 1901 (with aids from German engineers), and with some delay, introducing
massive ceramic and chemical industries. Due to overly intensive installation or development ofindustries, the city of Kitakyushu has once severely suffered from the heavily polluted waters, airs andsoils in the past (peaked in 1960s). However, this city is now considered as one of the world-leading
eco-friendly and/or sustainable cities pioneeringly and continuously acting for environmental
protection and installation of sustainable systems in the society.
In 1985, the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) evaluated theenvironmental achievements made in Kitakyushu city in its White Paper on the environment, anddescribed Kitakyushu city as a city that transformed itself from a ‘Grey city’ into a ‘Green city.’ For
confirming the improvement in the atmospheric environment in Kitakyushu city, in 1987, theEnvironment Agency in Japan has listed Kitakyushu as one of the Starry Towns/Cities under clear
atmospheric environment. Furthermore, in 1990, the city of Kitakyushu was conferred the ‘Global 500
Award’ by the UN Environment Program (UNEP). Notably, in 1992, Kitakyushu was awarded for its
environmental leadership at the Earth Summit held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
As reputed above, the government of Kitakyushu city is now considered as one of the mostinfluential local governments leading the world trends for the shift towards the sustainable societies
as endorsed by OECD which selected Kitakyushu city as one of four Green Growth Model Cities(2011) and one of six SDGs-promoting cities/regions (2018).
Therefore, it is tempting to take a closer look on the history of Kitakyushu city typicallyexperienced the positive and negative aspects of intensive industrialization and eventually shifted tothe eco-centrically driven society, along with the progress of Anthropocene representing theoverwhelming anthropogenic environmental impacts threatening us and thus driveng us for the shift
to the sustainable way of life.

Birth and growth of Kitakyushu city in the last century
The world has not been simultaneously and evenly industrialized after the onset of industrial
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revolution. According to the historical view, the industrial revolution could be dated back to 1779, theyear that the construction of the world first iron bridge crossing the River Severn in Shropshire,
England, was initiated (Briggs, 1979; Cossons and Trinder, 1979). In Asia, the earliest introductory
step for heavy industry could be dated back to the 5th of February, 1901, when the Higashida First
Blast Furnace composing Yawata Steel Works, designed by German engineering firm (Gute
Hoffnungshütte) was tooled in a region called Yahata later forming the core of Kitakyushu city, started
its operations for the first time in Asia. For memorizing a series of historical events installing modern
industries in Japan, the remaining facilities and buildings constructed during the Japan’s industrial
revolution (referred to as Japan’s Meiji Industrial Revolution as it took place in Meiji era according toJapanese Imperial periodization) chiefly the compositions of the nation-owned Yawata Steel Works
have been listed as a group of world heritages in 2015, after acceptance at 39th UNESCO World
Heritage session (UNESCO).

Possible periodization within Anthropocene in Japan viewing through the changes

in Kitakyushu city
While Anthropocene started in 18th century (1779) in Europe, 1901 must be memorized as theyear of the onset of Asian Anthropocenic social changes, since then, the heavy industry installed inJapan showed rapid growth peaking in the years prior to the WWII. After installation of the steel works
in a fishery rural where no one other than fishery people used to live surrounded by less densely
populated village of Yawata (presently known as Yahata-Higashi ward), the area showed accelerated
population growth up to the beginning of WWII (Fig. 1a).
After Japan, Manchuria was the second region to be highly industrialized by installing iron andsteel industry (between 1932 and 1944; Rogers, 1948). The rest of Asian countries (especially in East
Asia, later in South East Asia) showed drastic growth in industry mostly after WWII, thus the historyof Anthropocene was mostly short-cut there and these countries entered the stage of so-called Great
Divergence or Great Acceleration of Anthropocenic growth without any run-up period. Such timingof the onset of Anthropocenic growth could be the first point of periodization to be discussed.
Interestingly, the birth of Kitakyushu city as one of four rapidly developing major industrialized
areas in Japan, along with the nation-wide post-war trends of great economic growth, coincides theacceleration of the globally on-going increases in 24 Anthropocenic parameters (Steffen et al., 2011),
thus, contributing to “Great Divergence” symbolized by construction of great buildings and largesized facilities made of concrete or metals.
In Kitakyushu area (corresponding to the present Kitakysuhsu city), Kokura (central) Station
was relocated, and Kanmon national highway tunnel (3.6 km-long undersea tunnel across the Kanmon
channel between Honshu Island and Kyushu Island) opened in 1958; Kokura castle tower was rebuilt
40Fig. 1. Population of Kitakyushu city and former corresponding regions. (a) Demographic curve madefrom the data available from the Kitakyushu city’s web page (https://www.city.kitakyushu.lg.jp/). The
population of the corresponding regions in 1901 is based on the description by Katayama (2014). (b)Positive and negative fluctuation in the population growth rate in Kitakyushu area after WWII.

in 1959; a great steel-made suspension bridge connecting Wakamatsu ward and Tobata ward across41

the Dokai Bay (Great Wakato bridge; 82.4 m in height, 627 m in length) was constructed and opened
in 1962 just prior to the birth of the new city of Kitakyushu which was formed after 5-city-merging in
1963.
Under the administration of the new city, National highway bypass opened in 1966; the new city
hall tower was built in 1972; Kitakyushu airport opened (renamed from Kokura airport), the Worker’s
Hall was built, Rainbow Plaza Hall opened, and Kannon Great Bridge (141 m-high steel-madesuspension bridge, across the 1 km-wide Kanmon channel) was constructed and opened in 1973; thelargest gymnasium hall opened in 1974; Sanyo Shinkansen line (a network of high-speed railway line
connected at Kokura station) opened, the second Kanmon 3.6 km-long undersea tunnel opened, a new
library hall opened, and the central wholesale market opened in 1975. Similarly, constructions of huge
structures continued for further 15 years (Time table to be shown in the coming follow-up report).
In Fig. 1a, demographic growth in Kitakyushu area after 1900 are shown and the actual dataplotted with closed circles are compared with the curves (dotted line) of simulated growth based on
the Logistic model with a modification. Logistic equation is a mathematical model designed for
simulating the demographic or ecological population curves (Takaichi and Kawano, 2016; Kawano,
2019b). It seems that population growth in Kitakyushu city obeys the modified Logistic model except
for the period under the strong influence of WWII (1941-1947, showing a constant decrease equivalent
to -3.34% of annual growth). Curve fitting suggested the growth rates to be used in the Logistic model
could be trisected into 0.033 (3.3% for the period between 1900 and 1920), 0.075 (7.5% for 19211940) and 0.15 (15% for 1948-present), suggesting that the size of economy supporting the growth of
the region was step-wisely doubled as the local economy shifted from industrial incubating period tothe era of nation-wide economic growth as Japan emerged out as a new economic power before WWII,
and the post-war recovery phase. Under steady growth rate after WWII, population of Kitakyushu
showed maturation and started gradual shrinkage. Here, modification applied to the model defined thecarrying capacity (K) determining the upper size limit of population as a changeable factor which is
as a function of industrial capacity. The simulation shown here is designed to show shrinkage ofcarrying capacity (K) if the economic supply and/or stock from the old industry (the above-mentioned
industrial capacity) becomes restricted or running out.
After merging of 5 cities to form the brand new Kitakyushu city in 1963 (as the first national
government-ordinance-designated city in Kyushu Island), ironically the whole population in the region
ceased growing and the population started to decrease after the peak recorded in 1975. Fig. 1bhighlights the years showing the large size of sudden fluctuation in per capita growth rate against thetrends of demographic change, which might be reflecting the conflicts between the populationelevating policies and the population-lowering economic pressure.

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Shift towards the sustainable way of life
The above-mentioned fluctuations shown as the spikes were recorded in 1982 (the biggest),
2000 (the second biggest), 1994 (the third in size), 1979 (the 4th in size), and so on. The fluctuation
recorded in 1979 reflects the sudden slowing in the rate of growth and the rest of large signals recorded

Fig. 2. Possible periodization of Anthropocene in Japan. Photos are from Kitakyushu city’s official
website. (a) A curve representing normalized increase in 24 Anthropocenic parameters (Steffen et al.,2011). (b) Possible periodization within Anthropocene trisected into three distinct ages, namely, theearly age (1781-1950 in Europe; 1901-1950 in Asia), the middle age (1950-2000, corresponding toGreat Divergence), and the late age (2001-present corresponding to greener and sustainable society).
(c) Higashida First Blast Furnace vitalized in 1901 which is now preserved in Kitakyushu city. (d)Scenery of Kitakyushu city in 1960. (e) Scenery of Kitakyushu city today. Images shown in (d) and (e)were provided by the city of Kitakyushu.

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Fig. 3. Viewing Anthropocenic Ages through astronomical and geochronological time scales. Bigbang to the birth of the Earth (left) and geochronological periodization (eons, eras, and periods) from
Hadean eon to the quaternary period in Cenozoic era (right) are compared. Figure continues to next
page.

in 1982, 1994, and 2000 represent the sudden increases in population against the decreasing trends
immediately followed by re-decreasing in the population, suggesting that there were some temporal
efforts such as local government’s local economy-targeted policies.

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Fig. 3. Continued. Details of periodization (periods, epoch and ages) within Cenozoic era from
Danian age in Palenocenic epoch (within Paleogene period) to the latest Anthropocenic epoch (withinquaternary period)) are shown (left). Trisection of Anthropocene into three tentative ages, namely theearly, the middle, and the late Anthropocene ages are proposed (right). In the inset, progress of
Anthropocene through three tentative ages are plotted against the parameters of Anthropocene such as
the global population .

Here, we view that Kitakyushu city showed a blue-print model for future societies in the world,45

in order to shift towards the truly long-lasting sustainable civilization. With this respect, we would liketo propose a possible periodization within Anthropocene as illustrated in Fig. 2.
After the last two major fluctuations recorded in 1994 and 2000, the population curve becamesmooth straightforwardly showing minute decrease without any major fluctuation. In fact, the lastfluctuation in population (in 2000) coincide the efforts of Kitakyushu city to perform structural change
in local economy to launch the eco-centric and environmentally-friendly industries instead of oldheavy and/or chemical industries. This could be a sign that the city of Kitakyushu actively attempted
its transformation from the heavy-industry-dependent structure into the eco-centric model economy.
This point will be covered in a planned follow-up reading (by K. Nakao).
In 2001, the former mayor of Kitakyushu city, Mr. Sueyoshi deliver the message to the citizens(Koyama, 2012), by emphasizing the point that from then on Kitakyushu city lives the way of its life
as “the eco-advanced city with citizens taking responsibility for maintaining the clean air and waterby paying the necessary costs,” in the middle of the city-held memorial event called “Kitakyushu
Hakuransai 2001” cerebrating the 100 years of iron and steel-based industrialization in Kitakyushu,
in front of the refurnished structure of Higashida First Blast Furnace decorated with a pair of metal
plates on each of which “1901” the memorial year of steel industry installation in Japan was printed(Fig. 2c). This was a kind of farewell message to the old industries by converting “iron and steel” into
mealy some kind of monuments and parts of history, and instead, a new sustainable way of life was tobe chosen. The efforts made in Kitakyushu resulted in recovery of healthier urban environments withclean air and water as representative photos comparing the sky above the city in 1960 and one day
after 2000 (Fig. 2d and e; photos provided by the environmental department of Kitakyushu city).
Fig. 2 (a and b) compare the curve synthesized from the above-mentioned 24 Anthropocenic
parameters and possible periodization within Anthropocene which was trisected into three distinctages, namely, the early, the middle and the late ages. In Japan, the early age should be dated back to1901 while European counties entered into it from 1781. Beginning of the middle age Anthropocene
corresponding to so-called Great Divergence might have started in most countries uniformly from1950’s. Here, we are proposing additional section of Anthropocene to be added as the late age startingfrom this millennium, which must be the greener and sustainable age, by viewing from the historicalpoint and also with strong wishes for coming generations of mankind.

Expanding the view to the cases in the world
In Fig. 3 (spanning two separate pages), the sequence of astronomical and geochronologicalperiodization in macroscopic and microscopic scales, starting from the big bang forming the universe
towards the emerging sub-epoch ages in Anthropocene.
The idea that Anthropocene in Japan could be trisected into three sub-epoch ages might be also
applied universally to the cases in the rest of world. To date, dissection of Anthropocene into the early46

run-up period and the dynamic period represented by the steep, almost diverging increases in various
environmental and economic parameters referred to as Great Divergence is largely accepted (Steffen
et al., 2004, 2011). Although all the Anthropogenic parameters look divergent by the end of previous
millennium or even today, they must be eventually revealed to have hidden convergent values to beattained in this finite world as discussed earlier in this journal (Kawano, 2019a). Therefore, we would
like to name the newly emerging or coming phase of maturity and sustainability as the additional subepoch age (the late Anthropocene) as illustrated in the inset in Fig. 3.
Interestingly, there is a series of signs that Great divergence is gradually ceasing, at least in part.
In North America and Europe, consumption of paper (one of Anthropocenic parameters) showeddecrease after 2007, and valleyed in 2009, followed by slight regrowth in 2010 and 2011; and there issteady trends gradually lowing the rate of paper consumption between 2012 and 2015 (Haggith, 2018).
This is a good sign that there is a global trends minimizing the consumption of forest resources(unfortunately with exception for the paper market in Asia which is responsible for nearly half of the
global paper consumption). Such reduction my be due to ongoing science and technology revolution(Kawano, 2005), allowing the society to shift from the dependence to printed materials to the digital
display. Since 26% and 7% of global paper consumption are for printing/writing and news print,
respectively (Haggith, 2018). Therefore, global paper consumption could be further reduced by 33%
if the society were completely digitalized.

Conclusion
Anthropocene is a newly recognized geochronological epoch starting from the beginning ofindustrial revolution. In this article, we presented our view that the Anthropocene in Asia can be dated
back to the year of 1901 when the steel and iron industries are installed in the Northern tip of Kyushu
Island in Japan. In addition, we propose a possible sub-sectioning of Anthropocene into three subepoch ages corresponding to (1) the run-up period prior to WWII, (2) the post-WWII half century
reflecting the Great Divergence of Anthropocene, and (3) the decades (or even centuries) after 2000
characterized by intensive, greener, and sustainable human efforts.

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