Abstract
There is a relatively extensive upland called the “Shirasu” Plateau in southern Kyûshû covering most parts of Kagoshima Prefecture and southern part of Miyazaki Prefecture, Dwellers on this plateau have severely suffered from the scarcity of water for their farming practices for a long time, because “shirasu” which would etymologically mean “white sand, ” a sort of volcanic ash and sand, is very permeable, causing rapid penetration of rain water into the lower layers. Thus the dwellers have had to get water only from very deep wells or springs on the sides of dissecting valleys. Water getting has been a very hard work for them. But a striking change has recently occurred, which I dare say is a sort of revolution. Of late, many water works have been conducted almost all over the plateau, and the dwellers are now able to get water much more easily than they could imagine before.
The reasons why the water works have been done despite such a short period are explained firstly by the fact that they can be made very cheaply now as a result of recent rapid and phenomenal progress in technics of water work. A second reason is the government's financial aid. Lastly, efforts made by the city and town authorities should be noted.
The “Shirasu” Plateau is a very important geographic unit which is quite characteristic of southern Kyûshû. Therefore its relation to the life of dwellers is an interesting object of geographical reasearch. But we must not forget that the “Nature” is not the decisive factor for the formation of a region, but is only one factor, that is to say, the technical, economic, and political factors are also to be considered. Keeping these in mind, the, author studied the “Shirasu” Plateau of southern Kyûshû.
