Regeneration of Underused Natural Resources by Collaboration Between Urban and Rural Residents: A Case Study in Fujiwara District, Japan

Suguru Hirahara

doi:10.5334/ijc.977

Figures & Tables

Table 1

Summary of the group, gender, age, and profile of all individuals interviewed for this study.

Group	Person	Gender	Age	Profile
Urban residents	Interviewee 1^a	Male	70s	Ex-Representative of Forest College Seisui
	Interviewee 2	Male	60s	Representative of Forest College Seisui
	Interviewee 3	Male	50s	Organizer of Forest College Seisui
	Interviewee 4	Male	60s	Organizer of Forest College Seisui
Interviewee 5	Male	50s	Organizer of Forest College Seisui
Interviewee 6	Female	50s	Member of Forest College Seisui
Interviewee 7	Male	30s	Member of Forest College Seisui
Interviewee 8	Female	40s	Member of Forest College Seisui
Settlers from urban areas to Fujiwara District	Interviewee 9	Male	40s	Member of Water Resources Network of Okutone
Settlers from urban areas to Fujiwara District	Interviewee 10	Male	30s	Member of Water Resources Network of Okutone
Interviewee 11	Male	30s	Member of Water Resources Network of Okutone
Interviewee 12	Male	50s	Member of Water Resources Network of Okutone
Local residents in Fujiwara District	Interviewee 13	Male	30s	Representative of Water Resources Network of Okutone
	Interviewee 14	Male	30s	Member of Water Resources Network of Okutone
	Interviewee 15^b	Male	80s	Representative of Native Guides Club of Fujiwara
	Interviewee 16^b	Male	60s	Member of Native Guides Club of Fujiwara
	Interviewee 17^b	Male	80s	Member of Native Guides Club of Fujiwara
Interviewee 18^b	Male	80s	Member of Native Guides Club of Fujiwara
Interviewee 19^b	Male	70s	Member of Native Guides Club of Fujiwara
Interviewee 20^b	Female	70s	Inn landlady in Fujiwara District
Interviewee 21^b	Female	80s	Inn landlady in Fujiwara District
Administrators	Interviewee 22	Male	50s	Administrator of Minakami Town Office
Interviewee 23	Male	50s	Administrator of Minakami Town Office

[i] ^a The survey for interviewee 1 was conducted three times.

^b They used CPRs before grassland management was abandoned.

Map showing Fujiwara District in Minakami Town, Gunma Prefecture, Kanto Region, Japan.

The present state of Uenohara. Photo by the author, July 11, 2015.

Traditional Buildings thatched with Kaya. Photo by the author, March 12, 2016.

Annual cycle of the livelihoods of locals around the year 1950 in Fujiwara District (modified from Kikuchi et al. [1995]).

Sheaves of Kaya. Photo by the author, March 13, 2016.

Making of Bocchi. Photo by the author, October 24, 2015.

Table 2

Summary of resource use of Uenohara (modified from the document of Forest College Seisui).

Local name	Material	Use	Start of season
Kaya (Susuki)	Miscanthus sinensis	Roofs	End of October
Charcoal sacks, mountages, and snow fences	After cropping for roofs
Kacchiki	Green grass	Organic fertilizer	N/A
Kapposhi	Green grass	Forage and organic fertilizer	N/A
Kuzoba	Leaves of Pueraria lobata	Forage and strings	October 10
Kazura	Roots of Pueraria lobata	Edibles	N/A
Warabi no Ne	Roots of Pteridium aquilinum	Starch and edibles	N/A
Hagi	Leaves and branches of Lespedeza	Forage and skewers	End of September
Sansai	Wild plants	Edibles	N/A
Yamaguwa	Leaves of Morus australis	Silkworm-raising	N/A

Table 3

Exogenous factors of development in Fujiwara District.

Year	Event
1931	Opening of the entire Jyouetsu Line
1934	Opening of Fujiwara Prefectural Route
1951–1958	Construction of Fujiwara Dam
1952–1955	Construction of Sudagai Dam
1954–1957	Realigning and extending Fujiwara Prefectural Route
1959–1967	Construction of Yagisawa Dam
1972	Opening of Fujiwara Ski Resort
1973–1990	Construction of Naramata Dam
1979	Opening of Houdaigi Ski Resort
1982	Opening of Jyouetsu Bullet Train
1983	38th National Sports Festival in Gunma Prefecture
1986	Opening of Minakami Highlands Ski Resort and Golf Course

Table 4

Activities of Forest College Seisui in 2016.

No.	Date	Event	Number of participants^a
1	Mar 12–13	Help with a local event (Candle Night) Trekking in snowfields	19
2	Apr 16–17	Ritual for the god of the mountains Control burning (Noyaki) Nature observation in Uenohara	26
3	May 21–22	Picking of edible wild plantsTransplanting roots of Miscanthus sinensisStrolls of Fujiwara District	13
4	Jul 9–10	Photography of wild plantsMowing and preparing fire-blocking zones	11
5	Aug 17–18	Participation in a local festivalCooking of traditional food	7
6	Sep 24–25	Thinning of a forestMaintenance of forestry roads	15
7	Oct 29–30	Thatch cropping (Kayakari)	22
8	Nov 12–13	Transport of Kaya	13

[i] ^a Instructors were excluded from the number of participants.

Kayakari regenerated by Forest College Seisui. Photo by the author, October 24, 2015.

Noyaki regenerated by Forest College Seisui. Photo by the author, April 25, 2015.

Relationships between various participants.

Table 5

Constitution of former and new governance.

Governance	Participants	Benefits from NRM	Role sharing in NRM
Former governance	Local residents in Fujiwara District	Living necessaries such as Kaya	Mutual works (Ee)
New governance	Forest College Seisui	Enjoyment of activities with comrades	New and unique viewpoint
New governance	Native Guides Club of Fujiwara	Application to local revitalization Subincomes	Labor and skill Instruction
Water Resources Network of Okutone	Application to local revitalization	Local liaison and coordination
Construction company	Building materials for cultural property restoration	Assistance for instruction

Regeneration of Underused Natural Resources by Collaboration Between Urban and Rural Residents: A Case Study in Fujiwara District, Japan

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