Anthonie Thomas Lubertus Rouwenhorst Mulder: a pioneer of modern port city planning in nineteenth-century Japan

Anthonie Thomas Lubertus Rouwenhorst Mulder was a Dutch civil engineer involved in the design of port cities in nineteenth-century Japan. In 1879, as part of Japan’s modernisation efforts, Mulder was employed as a foreign expert by the Japanese Ministry of Home Affairs. During his approximately eleven-year stay, Mulder contributed to the planning and design of various projects, including river engineering, land reclamation, and port cities. His designs for the Moji and Misumi ports exemplify his work and ideas for Japanese port cities. In this study, Mulder’s reports on Japan have been analysed to explore his perspectives on port cities. Given the lack of Japanese engineers with knowledge of the European standards at the time, Mulder found it challenging to incorporate modern materials, such as concrete, leading him to predominantly utilise natural materials, such as stone. His designs not only focused on the immediate engineering needs but also included phased and comprehensive urban planning elements, such as the expansion of port facilities, integration with land transportation, and enlargement of residential areas through land reclamation. These contributions highlight Mulder’s role, which extended beyond that of a civil engineer to an urban planner, and significantly affected the design of Japanese port cities.