This study investigated how children used natural space and natural resources for play in satoyama cultural landscapes in the early Showa period. The site of the investigation was Moriyama Village, a rural community today part of Otsu City in Shiga Prefecture, where villagers who were elementary school children in the period between 1925 and 1955 were interviewed. The investigation showed that 72 main kinds of play used to be played. Among these, 69 were plays that took place outdoors or in which natural resources were used. 42 kinds of play dealt with collecting flowers and animals in the village. Tools that were used in the plays included many natural resources such as bamboo, flowers and the fruits of various plants. Through child play, children got into contact with various natural spaces such as the mountains, the river and the lake.
