The object areas of consideration by the author are:
a) the catchment-area of the Toyama-gawa, one of the tributaries of the River Tenryu (on the side of the Akaishi Mountains).
b) the catchment-area of the Wachino-gawa (on the side of the Kiso Mountains).
It may be admitted to say that the present state of a mountain village can not be correctly recognized without considering over the process of its social development.
The author has comparatively considered several mountain villages in the two areas descripted above and emphasis were put on the differences between these two groups of villages in order to get true pictures of their present status.
In some respects, they have common characteristics; for example, both areas supply themselves for food supporting them only for three months in a year. In other respects, however, remarkable differences are observed between these two, especially their economic conditions. Forestry offers a good example; at present, the former shows vigorous activity in lumbering, while the latter doesn't, because of shortage of its forest resources.
1) The causes which have brought the differences in the present activity in lumbering are as follows: -the catchment-area of the Toyama-gawa has much larger wooded land than that of the Wachino-gawa, since the former has been left behind by the latter in the progress of carrying capacity. The roads in the latter districts were repaired as early as the first 10 years of this century, while in the former it was in 1944 that the roads for auto-trucks were built for the first time, and as a result, the private-owned forest resources, the main spring of todays activity, has long been preserved without being deforested.
2) From feudal days, there runs the Sanshu highway connectitg the Central Highland with the Tokai district through the upper region of the catchment-area of the Wachino-gawa.
Owing to this environment, the life relying upon this highway was established. Its origin can be traced back so far. But when the people were left behind the modernization of traffic, they were forced to depend more and more upon the forest resources in order to support their life. Unfortunately by such regrettable denudation during World War II, their economic condition ran on a dead rock.
In order to overcome this difficult situation, the following may be suggested to be effective;
i) surface rights of the forests separately belonging to each village, though once divided, should be united again, and all the forests should regain their original status as a complete common property.
ii) after its accomplishment, rationalization of the forest management should be carried out.
3) As for the area of the Toyama-gawa, rationarization of the managment both for the private forests and those belonging to the communities would never fail to bring much benefit to the majority of the inhabitants in future.
4) It is necessary for each area to divide its private-owned forests into two parts, namely, into forest for economic use and for agricultural use; the forest for economic use should be divided again into two parts, one is for lumbering, the other for charcoal. It is needless to say that in each of these three parts thus divided, long year range plans for tne purpose of accumulating forest resources should be put into practice.
Regarding the area of the Wachino-gawa, the author feels it proper to say that, for the reconstruction of its economic life, rational management of the forests for charcoal production ought to be strengthened.
