Clarification of the Mechanism for the Spread of Mixed-Structure Compost Sheds as Agricultural Modernization Heritage in the Foothills of Mount Chokai

2023 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 22K14391
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Early-Career Scientists
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Review Section: Basic Section 23030:Architectural planning and city planning-related
• Research Institution: Akita Prefectural University
• Principal Investigator: Li Xue 秋田県立大学, システム科学技術学部, 助教 (20805915)
• Project Period (FY): 2022-04-01 – 2024-03-31
• Keywords: 堆肥小屋 / 乾田馬耕 / 混構造 / 石積み / 鳥海石

Outline of Final Research Achievements

This study investigated the construction history, current status, and methods of mixed-structure compost sheds with stone walls built from the late Meiji to mid-Showa periods in Akita Prefecture. Through literature research, the relationship between dry field horse plowing and the emergence of compost sheds was examined historically, focusing on Japan as a whole. In Akita Prefecture, the study detailed the guidance, incentive systems, and subsidies for building compost sheds.
An actual measurement survey was conducted on nine existing compost sheds in Hatafukuda village, Nikaho City. The survey assessed their scale, construction methods of the walls and sheds, positional relationships with the main house, and current uses. It was found that the sheds' locations emphasized easy access from farmland, reflecting the importance of accessibility at the time of construction.

Free Research Field

民家に用いる建築構法

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

本研究の研究対象である鳥海山山麓に残存する混構造堆肥小屋が日本農業近代化の物的証拠ともなる重要な近代化遺産として認識されていないのが現状である。研究成果によって民家と小屋の研究に新たな知見を追加することができ、堆肥小屋を近代農業遺産として再評価するための基礎資料としての役割も期待できる。
さらに、秋田県産の鳥海石は庭石として評価されているが建築材料としての利用は知られていない。堆肥小屋に用いられた鳥海石の運用実態から秋田県の鳥海山山麓の石文化の新たな側面を明らかにすることがで、秋田県の鳥海山山麓の石文化の再構築に意義が見られる。