page_title: Sanrizuka Struggle
section_title: Regional history
hierarchical_section_title: Sanrizuka Struggle / Regional history
caption_attribution_description: English: Shimofusa Imperial Stock Farm 日本語: 下総御料牧場
context_page_description: The Sanrizuka Struggle refers to a civil conflict involving the Japanese government and the agricultural community of Sanrizuka, comprising organised opposition by farmers, local residents, and leftist groups to the construction of Narita International Airport. The struggle stemmed from the government's decision to construct the airport in Sanrizuka without the involvement or consent of most area residents.
  The struggle was led by the Sanrizuka-Shibayama United Opposition League against Construction of the Narita Airport, which locals formed under the leadership of opposition parties the Communist Party and Social Democratic Party. The group became radical, and the struggle resulted in significant delays in the opening of the airport, as well as deaths on both sides.
  At its height, the union mobilised 17,500 people for a general rally, while thousands of riot police were brought in on several occasions.
context_section_description: The northern region of Chiba Prefecture had been farmland since c. 700, when the emperor ordered the creation of horse and cattle pastures there. The Shimōsa Plateau, which covers most of the northern part of the prefecture, had been active in agriculture for centuries. Villages conducting agricultural work in the region since the Edo period were called koson (古村, "old village"). Edo imperial magistrates' jurisdiction did not reach these villages, which is said to have fostered defiance of political authority as a feature of the region. Farmers' movements, unions, and strikes thrived here above anywhere else in the prefecture.
  In the early 20th century, the area became the imperial family's farmlands, known as Goryō Farm (御料牧場, goryou bokujō). Locals became familiar with the imperial family, who frequently came to visit their stables. The Goryō Farm was emotionally and economically indispensable to locals, with some residents saying this contributed to local opposition to the airport: "Hearing that the Goryō Farm would disappear [as a result of the construction] made everyone around here go crazy."
  In 1923, 2,000 hectares (20 km²; 7.7 sq mi) of the Goryō Farm were sold, leading to the development of small villages throughout the Meiji and Taishō periods. This land was cultivated by former lower-class samurai, servants of samurai families, and others who lost their livelihoods to the Meiji Restoration. Many could not cope with the hardships of land-clearing work and abandoned the area. The farmers who remained later won a long judicial struggle to secure their own rights to the land from wealthy Tokyo merchants who held land-bonds.
  In 1946, after Japanese defeat in WWII, large tracts of imperial-owned land were again sold off. The various disadvantaged peoples who settled this land were collectively called "the new poor" (新窮民 shin-kyuumin). They performed heavy agricultural labour day and night, living in straw huts without electricity or running water. Settlers who could not endure this harsh environment left; those who remained were able to make a living off of land purchased from deserters.
  Because of these histories, this region's farmers had a very strong attachment to their lands.
caption: Horses at Goryō Farm in 1930
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