B116 雪形って知ってますか?

Abstract

Remaining snow surrounded by a ground surface and a ground surface surrounded by remaining snow are called yukigata in Japan. Some of famous yukigatas have a name and oral literature. There are more than 300 famous yukigatas. The yukigatas have been used mainly as a kind of calendar for agriculture in most of the snowy regions in Japan since long ago. Recently, however, the yukigatas are being forgotten because the primitive ways for agriculture are disappearing with the progress of agricultural technology. On the other hand, the formation of yukigata is governed by the topography of the mountains and snow accumulation and snowmelt. Therefore, yukigatas have information on topographical features, distribution of mountain snow and climate change. Moreover, it is possible to use yukigata as sightseeing resources or material for nature education.