This thesis focuses on the system and practice of Japanese police organizations, ‘police substations,’ and their influences upon the changes of mountain space in Japanese Taiwan. The research can be regarded as a fundamental research of architectural history, as well as part of studies of colonial architecture under imperialism since late nineteenth century.
Two essential issues are dominated in the thesis. First, how those substations were established and how police substations were used, changed and adjusted will be formulated. Additionally, the substations were founded under different control policies of aborigine and police institution of aboriginal area in terms of space-time changes. Second, how the mountain spaces, such as environmental, spatial and architectural characteristics, were affected by establishments of police substations will be discussed.
Based on the visions of characteristics of mountain space in Taiwan as well as the progress of historic developments, the exploration of empirical projects is stressed in the thesis. Regarding to archival works, review, comparison and sieve of historical data were emphasized for later induction and contextual analysis. In particular, stacking up and comparing different versions of maps could allow us to identify and establish fundamental data and locations of police substations in different space and time. In field works, some record methodologies of architecture, such as measure and drawings, were applied in order to inscribe the remained constructions of police substations in relatively precise two-dimension graphic ways. This could help in the way of later comparison, analysis and discussions.
The thesis consists of seven chapters. Chapter one is introduction. Chapter two is to review the characteristics and changes of ‘control of aborigine’ policies in different periods of the colonial government. The following three chapters are arranged with the order of time and discuss the developments, categories, establishments and characteristics of police substations in terms of different space and time in order to understand systems and practice of police substations, and changes of their forms and appearence. It can be categoried as three types: before 1914, guard lines and police substations for servants of aborigine affairs; during 1914 and 1915, police substations for police-officers of police affairs; and after 1915, roads of aboriginal areas and police substations for police-officers of police affairs. Chapter six is composed of the characteristics and changes of the architectural formats of police substations in terms of regulations, budgets, managements, building systems, management and maintenance, unwritten rules, technicians of aboriginal areas, and so on. Finally, the last chapter is the conclusion of the thesis.
To sum up, from 1907 to 1914, there were at least 213 police substations for servants of aborigine affairs established. From 1914 to 1941, to the least extents, there were 738 police substations for police-officers of police affairs built. Merging the identical, 795 police substations were constructed during the Japanese Taiwan. Basic data of police substations referred earlier have been enlisted in the appendix for future research of spatial location in aboriginal area.