- 著者
-
出口 源吾
- 出版者
- 公益社団法人 日本地理学会
- 雑誌
- 地理学評論
- 巻号頁・発行日
- vol.28, no.3, pp.133-144, 1955
In formor times, Kawakami-znura, a high elevated mountain village situated in the uppermost reaches of the Chikuma river, long existed as a typical isolated mountain village in the central part of Japan. But since the opening of the houmi line in 1935 and the establishment of Shinano-hawakami Station, a rapid transformation has taken place. The aim of this paper is to make clear this transformation.<br> 1. The population has increased rapidly. Its ten year increasing rate was 40.5%, from 1930 to 1940. approximately doubling that of the previous ten years. (Figure 2)<br> 2. The percentage of the farm population has decreased, while that of the population in sawing industry, commerce and salaried occupation has increased. We can understand that there has occurred a great change in occupational structure. (Table 1)<br> 3. Nursering of young larch-trees by utilizing the rice fields and growing of truck vegetables suited for cool high elevated regions have become the most important income sources in agriculture. The horse-breeding, the former chief income source, has lost its importance now.<br> 4. At the same time, the land in communal ownership, which was meadows, pastures and forests for fuel, has been divided among the inhabitants as their private land holdings. The utilization of these forests has been greatly promoted, and these pastures are being afforested. It is obvious that forestry is another principal imcome source there.<br> 5. Changes in the extent of trade area, decrease of matrimonies within the village community and the expansion of the sphere of inter-marriage make us acknowledge the enlargement of the community. (Table 5)<br> 6. At the frontier settlements, Kawahake and Azusayama, the settlers depended only on foresty as their chief work, because the coolness indicated by 20°C of the mean temperature in August made them impossible to grow such crops as rice. But now, after they began to grow such truck vegetables as Chinese cabbages and ordinary cabbages and to rear seed silkworms, their income has increased a great deal. But, judging from their ability to pay tax, theirr newspaper reading, their owning of radios, postal matters and so on, the standard of living at those high elevated frontier settlements is lower than the center of the village near the railroad station.<br> 7. Thus, this mountain village, which has been forced to be satisfied with the low level of production caused by the cooler climate and isolated position, is endeavoring to find out the ways to overcome the backwardness in economy and culture, in order to promote the security of living, in response to the modern impoved communication means.