002.四国山地 02.落合・赤松
002.Shikoku Mountains02.Ochiai Village・Akamatsu Village (Japan)

2021年1月24日

四国山地では、集落もまた、距離を取りながら家々が斜面に立ち、回りの畑で自家用の食料を栽培する自律的な環境。孤立と連帯のバランスが絶妙で、現代社会に示唆的です。

In the Shikoku Mountains, villages are also an autonomous environment where houses stand on slopes while keeping their distance, and grow their own food in the fields around the houses. The balance between isolation and solidarity is exquisite and suggestive to modern society.

祖谷の落合は、重伝建に指定された集落。斜面を直線に下る道と、等高線に沿って東西に伸びる道のネットワークが家々を結び、今は、その東西の道をつなぎ合わせて、車が上まで上がれます。それにしても、畑の急傾斜ぶりに絶句。農作業もたいへんですが、さらに、「サラエ」という専用の道具で、落ちて行く土を上に戻します。

一宇の赤松は、日本でもっとも標高差のある集落で、下の家から上の家まで750m。一体どのくらいの距離なのか歩いてみると、１時間半掛かりました。上に到着すると、そこに広がるのは、遮ることのない絶景。訪れた５月でも、風の通りは寒く、その風と昼夜の寒暖差のおかげで、頂上付近でつくる干し柿は糖度が高く、百貨店で高値で取引されるとか。

Ochiai of the Iya Valley is a village designated as National Historical District. A network of paths that go straight down the slope and paths that runs east and west along the contour line connects the houses. Now, this east-west paths are connected so that car could go up to the highest point. And yet, the steep slope of the field is terrible. In addition to hard agricultural work, people have to raise the falling soil with a special tool called "Sarae."

Akamatsu of Ichiu is the village with the highest altitude difference in Japan, and its difference is 750m from the lower house to the upper house. It took me about an hour and a half to walk to the highest point. At the top, an unobstructed view spreads out. Even in May when I visited, the wind was cold. According to the wind and the difference in temperature between day and night, dried persimmons produced near the top are very sweet and sold at high prices at department stores.

落合集落 / Ochiai village