Ozuchi Village

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Ozuchi Village

Ozuchi is one of the villages in Kaga city Kaga Higashitani Traditional Architecture Preservation Districts.

Summary

• Area: About 151.8 ha
• pecial architecture:
• Traditional architecture
  • building : 135 (main houses, warehouses, shrines, etc.)
  • workpieces : 243 (stone walls, Jizo/a guardian deity of children, lanterns, water mills, etc.)

Process of preserving the villages

To keep the villages in the mountains as traditional architecture, not only preserving the buildings and landscapes, but also the sustainable village creation by residents is necessary. In the preserved districts various activities are done by ‘Yamanaka Onsen Higashi-tani district preservation committee’ which is constituted with the residents and the graduates.

Kaga Higashitani district history

The history of the village flourished with charcoal Whole Kaga city was included in the former Kaga no Kuni Enuma-gun. It belonged to the domain of Kaga in early Edo era, and later to the subsidiary domain of Kaga; the domain Daishoji from 1639 to the end of Edo era. The domain of Daishoji governed the villages into 8 groups. 21 mountainous villages were called ‘Okuyamagata’, and the 8 villages including the 4 preservation villages were assigned the charcoal task and produced all of the charcoals for the domain.

Important villages remain in Kaga city

At the Town and Villages system enforced in 1888, 7 villages which had belonged to Okuyamagata and along the Iburi bridge and Suginomizu bridge were both included into the Higashitani Okumura. On the other hand, Nishitani village was formed with 13 villages except Yamanaka village along the Daishoji river. The current Kaga city calls the former Higashitani Okumura ‘Higashitani district’ and the former Nishitani village ‘Nishitani district.’ In Higashitani and Nishitani districts, the charcoal activities popular after the charcoal tasks and the cutting tree limitation systems operated at the domain duties era ended, then the charcoal demands increased. Charcoal works supported economy till oil, gas, and electricity became widely used around 1955–1965. After that, in the upper stream of the Nishitani district 9 villages were abandoned because of the dams construction and so on. In Higashitani district, also 3 villages along the Suginomizu river were destroyed by disasters. However in the 4 preservation villages bountiful forests, rivers which imply the links among the villages, and the old roads and so on, as well as the historical environment were taken over from Okuyamagata in the early modern period, are remained well.

The government banned to cut 5 types of trees (Hinoki, Sawara, Asuhi, Kouyamaki, and Nezuko) in Edo era, from 1716 to 1735.

The meanings of the red bricks and chimney (Kemuri dashi)

The houses with roof in Gable structure, chimney, and red brick provide the characteristic landscape of the preservation district. In this district, thatched roof might be the main in the early modern period. Red brick was the symbol of the modern period, on the other hand the chimney which is attached above Irori (hearth) gives the impression of simplicity which as if represents the unchanged things inherited through the people life.

The characteristics of the villages landscape

The architecture of the mountainous villages The housing, rice fields, and rice fields are placed to fit into the limited flat terrain. The village does not have clear boundaries, that provides the united landscape with surrounding nature. The village is surrounded by flourishing forests, however the Cedar plantations at the slope was used to be a burnt field. The landscape of the Kaga Higashitani district has been changed through the decline of the charcoal works in the modern period, and the establishments of the roads and river coasts. This is the result of the adoption of the mountainous villages to each period, and it shows the aspect of the modern evolution of mountainous places.   Ozuchi town Buildings are spread in a bowl shape terrain, which shows unique landscape. Waterways originated from the spring water are stretched around the town, and rockworks and rock bridges were built at various spots.

• Onoirazu no mori (forest without ax) : To avoid avalanche, cutting Buna and Zelkova trees in the forest was banned.
• Tanada and Kyogan (Terraced rice fields and huge rock) : 24 terraced rice fields and and the surrounded rock walls are amazing. There is a huge rock named ‘Shishibo ish’, which is said the rock protected the village from boar (wild pig.)
• Ozuchi shozu (spring water in Ozuchi) : a hidden clean spring water which the temperature is stable through a year.

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