The Settlements and the Cultivated Fields in Bandokoro-hara, at the Eastern Foot of Mt. Norikura

Abstract

In Oonogawa-mura, in Bandokoro-hara, there used to be several “dezukuri” or distant farm lands, with cottages, which were inhabited only during the cultivating season. Most of the inhabitants of Oo-nogawa moved to this temporary settlement in summer to engage in agriculture and returned to their permanent, settlement in winter with their foodstuffs for the cold months. Since the middle of the Meizi era, Bandoko Village, the most important of these temporary summer settlements, has been made permanent possessing now 70 houses, all from Oonogawa. There are several other summer settlements and farms, called “dezukuri” in this Bandoko Village. The heights of these permanent and temporary settlements, their field acreage, chief crops, etc. are shown in the following table. Bandoko was made a permaneut settlement slowly. The first half of the Meizi era was, in a way, the preparatory period for this change.Since the middle of the era, one or two houses moved from Oonogawa to Bandoko every year. It will be observed that this migration to Bandoko is due to the attraction of the farms since the greater part of it belongs to Bandoko and Okuyama. Permanent settlement means more intensive cultivation is possible as judged from the variety of crops, abundant labour, and fertiizers. Bandoko Village, situated on a higher level, is harder for life on account of the severe cold and exposure to strong winds from Mt. Norikura, although from the time that the village was temporary each house has been protected to some extent by trees. Other reasons that have hindered them from settling there are the social solidarity and communal life developed in the permanent village. There is now a shrine at Bandoko, and the social relations between Oonogawa and Bandoko have gradually become less intimate. Besides, Bandoko has water facilities. At Oonogawa, the houses are densely clustered on the valley wall, while at Bandoko, they are scattered-a house on each farm. Bandoko Village has now about 100 temporary cottages on the higher fields at Okuyama, which can be reached from the village in from 0.5 to 1.5 hours. The soil of these fields is weathered waste, unlike the volcanic ash at Bandoko. Although most of these fields, except the lower part of Hirukubo are of inferior quality, owing to the milder temperature. Frost damage is less than at Bandoko. The air temperature, however, is generally low, and the growing period of crops is rather short, so that the variety of crops cultivated here is limited, the chief crops grown being only buck wheat, potatoes, corn, and a few other vegetables. But at Bandoko, 200-300 metres lower, barn-grass, millet, rice, mulberry, and other vegetables are cultivated, thus enabling intensive cultivation. While the difference in the air temperature between the high and low fields on a fine day is slight, the air temperature is often reduced considerably in the high fields at night and on cloudy days in the daytime, which hinders the growth of crop. For this reason, buck wheat, which is suited to a cool climate, grows in the shortert period and becomes the dominant crop. But in a year of very bad climatic conditions, this crop also fails. For these reasons, the higher fields at Okuyama are believed to form the upper limit of cultivation. No such highly elevated fields as these are found in any other neighbouring mountain region; it may be the highest field in Japan. The permanent settlement has risen upward to Bandoko, 1300 metre high, which, however, is not so high as Okuyama. It is believed that the higher the site, the greater the climatic factors, such as severe cold, heavy snow, avalanches, which are obstacles to make the settlement permanent. Next, the position of the summer temporary settlements at Okuyama makes trasportation difficult. It is also difficult to cultivate intensively, thus reducing the attractive power of the fields.