Research on Irrigation custom and the order of villages

Research Project

Project/Area Number	13610356
Research Category	Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
Allocation Type	Single-year Grants
Section	一般
Research Field	文化人類学(含民族学・民俗学)
Research Institution	NIIGATA UNIVERSITY
Principal Investigator	IIJIMA Yasuo NIIGATA UNIVERSITY, Faculty of humanities, Associate Professor, 人文学部, 助教授 (20313489)
Project Period (FY)	2001 – 2003
Project Status	Completed (Fiscal Year 2003)
Budget Amount *help	¥1,000,000 (Direct Cost: ¥1,000,000) Fiscal Year 2003: ¥500,000 (Direct Cost: ¥500,000) Fiscal Year 2002: ¥500,000 (Direct Cost: ¥500,000)
Keywords	Irrigation custom / Village community / Order of irrigation
Research Abstract	I researrched the irrigation custom called "Otaharai" in Naganozeki irrigation area. Naganozeki is the canal, irrigating many paddy fields in Takasaki city. Otaharai was the custom to distribute irrigation water to the lower reaches villages at the time of the drought. People of the lower reaches temporarily broke dams of the upper reaches, and got irrigation water until the dams repaired by people of the upper reaches village. Otaharai custom were being practiced in four branch canals of Naganozeki at least. It was based on the principle of equal distribution of irrigation water during the critical drought. Relations between the upper reaches villages and the lower reaches villages varied. Some were antagonistic and the others were friendly. They were caused by amounts of water and historical details.