Cultural Construction of Urban Uniqueness : Regeneration of the Traditional Consumption City Kanazawa

The studies of urban culture have changed their approaches from exploring the universalistic dimensions of modernity in city to the particularities of urban uniqueness.The uniqueness of a place is culturally constructed through the selective construction of urban history, the reinterpretation of traditional culture, and the creation of new cultural elements.This paper deals with the City of Kanazawa in Japan as a distinguished example of the cultural construction of urban uniqueness.Kanazawa, having been one of the greatest feudal cities in Japan during the Tokugawa era, has lagged behind the modernization since the late 19th century.Although having accomplished the industrialization of light manufacturing, Kanazawa failed to develop the heavy and chemical industries in the post-war period.Thanks to the historical fact that it was spared from the destruction by US air raids during the Second World War, however, the historical and cultural resources reminding of the history of the traditional consumption city survive and are revaluated recently.The city has reconstructed its distinguished urban culture through the discourses of the post-Fordism and the creative city.Here can be found an attempt of (re)construction of urban uniqueness by combining the traditional urban cultures with modernity.