2010 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

The Research on the history of the mountain village development in modern Japan : A Case study of Itsuki-mura, Kumamoto Prefecture

Research Project

Project/Area Number	20520710
Research Category	Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
Allocation Type	Single-year Grants
Section	一般
Research Field	Cultural anthropology/Folklore
Research Institution	Yamaguchi University
Principal Investigator	YUKAWA Yoji Yamaguchi University, 人文学部, 教授 (10166853)
Project Period (FY)	2008 – 2010
Keywords	山村 / 開発史 / 民俗学 / 五木村
Research Abstract	The purpose of this research project is to analyze the meaning of the history of mountain village development in modernization of Japan, using the data which collected by field survey in Itsuki-mura, Kumamoto Prefecture. As a result of examining the following four development works that were important in the history of development of Itsuki-mura, 1)operation of the Itsuki copper mine, 2)construction and operation of a hydroelectric power station, 3) a charcoal burning, 4)a dam building plan , the following thing became clear. The former development of a mountain village utilized the resources of the mountain village, and has realized improvement of life and welfare. On the other hand, it became clear that dam building program planned in the postwar period were hopeless plan for the inhabitants of Itsuki-mura, because of sinking them into the water. In conclusion, I can say that in the future development of a mountain village needs to be made by the method to secure autonomy of village.