Abstract
When we discuss the problems of today on Japanese mountain villages, it is indispensable to study the conditions of ownership and utilization of forests. Typical populace owned forests in this country are the habitual common owned forests and the privately owned forests which mostly originated therein.
The habitual common owned forests are still existant vastly in Nosegawa village located in Yoshino mountain region, western Japan. Their distribution, however, is uneven. While, we scarcely find them in Nokawa and Kawanami regions where they have been divided among villagers or sold as the local mining and manufuncturing developed in modern times, they are still abundant in Se region which lacked in such conditions.
The functions of the habitual common owned forests at present in Se region are as the following.
1) They have added the private and social capitals, in the forms of the division of ownership, the distribution of profits from selling, the wages from being engaged in the afforestation by the yield-sharing with the public corporation, the various forest products and so on.
2) The institution about, and the cooperation work of, the habitual use and management of them have contributed to the maintenance of the traditional village organization and the social solidarity. But, it is recognized that that out-of-date institution has partly obstructed their rational utilization.
Their social and economic functions as such have weakened in Nokawa and Kawanami regions.
The mountain village population in this country has greatly decreased since 1955. In Nosegawa village as well, its population decreased by 63% from 1955 to 1974. But, in Se region, especially at Kitamata community, the economical benefits and social solidarity, which the habitual common owned forests provide, are contributing to prevent the excessive outflowing of villagers.
