Three shifting landmasses, three overlapping terraces.
Uenohara is a place where water flows, roads connect, and people thrive.
Three shifting landmasses, three overlapping terraces.
Uenohara is a place where water flows, roads connect, and people thrive.
[Uenohara holds a concentrated essence of the formation of the Japanese archipelago.]
Uenohara is located midway between the Katsura River and the Sagami River, which flow from Lake Yamanaka at the foot of Mount Fuji to Sagami Bay. The Kanto Mountains are to the north, and the Tanzawa Mountains are to the south, with the Katsura River and its tributaries such as the Tsuru River and Akiyama River flowing between them.
This relatively small area contains a mix of landmasses: "land born from the bottom of the deep sea," "land formed by sediment filling in the gaps between mountains," and "land that migrated from the southern seas."
Walking through Uenohara is like tracing the formation of the Japanese archipelago over approximately 90 million years, and the lives of the people who built their lives on that land, all within a single river basin.
Three shifting landmasses, three overlapping terraces.
Uenohara is a place where water flows, roads connect, and people thrive.
[The mountains of the north were born from the bottom of the deep sea.]
Approximately 90 million years ago, when the current Japanese archipelago was still taking shape, a large bedrock that would form the seabed was sinking beneath the main island of Honshu.
At that time, some of the mud and sand that had accumulated on the seabed were scraped off with a spatula and pushed towards the land, piling up one after another. Over many years, these became hard geological layers, and were later lifted up to form the Kanto Mountains in the north.
In geology, landforms created by the addition of seabed strata to the land are called "accretionary prisms." The sandstone, mudstone, and curved strata found in Nishihara and Yuzuhara tell the story of how these areas were once at the bottom of a deep sea and how they were subjected to great forces afterward.
The northern mountains, which originated from the seabed, were further eroded over a long period of time, becoming the source from which gravel, sand, and mud are sent to the Katsura River and its tributaries.
Three shifting landmasses, three overlapping terraces.
Uenohara is a place where water flows, roads connect, and people thrive.
[A volcanic land came from the south]
Later, in the southern seas, islands and seabed strata were formed by the activity of underwater volcanoes. These volcanic landmasses, carried on large bedrock formations that make up the seabed, gradually moved northward.
Eventually, land coming from the south approached Honshu and collided with it. This force compressed, bent, and lifted the geological layers, shaping the landmass that makes up the present-day Tanzawa Mountains.
The traces of volcanic activity and significantly deformed geological strata found in the southern part of Uenohara are evidence that the land moved from the southern sea.
Three shifting landmasses, three overlapping terraces.
Uenohara is a place where water flows, roads connect, and people thrive.
[The space between the two mountain ranges was filled with sediment.]
As the northern Kanto Mountains and the southern Tanzawa plains drew closer, mud, sand, and gravel flowed into the sea and valley-like lowlands between them, first from the northern Kanto Mountains and later from the southern Tanzawa plains, which eventually became mountainous.
Over a long period of time, vast amounts of sediment accumulated and were compacted, forming rocks such as mudstone, sandstone, and conglomerate. Subsequently, the entire landmass rose, and the rocks emerged above ground, mainly along the Katsura River.
Thus, in Uenohara, from north to south,
Three landmasses with different origins lie side by side: land born from the bottom of the deep sea, land formed by sediment filling the spaces between mountains, and land that moved from the southern sea and collided with Honshu.
This is the story of Uenohara's "three moving landmasses." Technically, the northern landmass is referred to as an "accretionary prism," the central landmass as a "filled zone," and the southern landmass as an "collision zone."
The large fault line at the boundary of the landmass, known as the Fujinoki-Aikawa fault line, and the volcanic strata found along the Akiyama River tell the story of how these three landmasses moved and met.
Three shifting landmasses, three overlapping terraces.
Uenohara is a place where water flows, roads connect, and people thrive.
[The river carved three steps into the earth.]
From approximately 2.6 million years ago to the present day, the Katsura River and its tributaries, such as the Tsurukawa River, have continued to flow, eroding the land in the process.
As the weather changes, the amount of sediment carried from the mountains and the way rivers flow also change. There are times when a lot of sediment is carried, filling in valleys, and other times when the rivers become more powerful, deeply eroding the accumulated sediment and the land.
When a river is dug deep, the riverbed is left behind in an area higher than the water level. This creates flat, step-like areas of land along the river. This type of landform is called a "river terrace."
In the story of Uenohara, these are broadly categorized into three types: "high terraces," "medium terraces," and "low terraces," and are described as "three overlapping terraces."
Upon closer inspection, the Uenohara terrace can be further divided into many smaller terraces, including the Okunugi, Kuzuhara, Nakano, Uenohara, Suwa, and Tsurushima terraces. The volcanic ash and rock-containing sediment that flowed down from Mount Fuji also provide clues about when and how each terrace was formed.
Three shifting landmasses, three overlapping terraces.
Uenohara is a place where water flows, roads connect, and people thrive.
Mountains, valleys, rivers, and terraces created habitats for both living creatures and humans.
Uenohara boasts a diverse topography, including high-altitude mountains, deep valleys, terrace cliffs, springs, and rivers.
There, a variety of environments arose, including deciduous broadleaf forests, mixed coniferous and broadleaf forests, riverbanks, wetlands, and cliffs. Plants suited to each location grow, and many animals live there.
Humans, too, since the Jomon period, have chosen to live in flat, habitable areas and places where water was readily available, and have built settlements and cultivated lands.
On the other hand, while the terraces offered the advantage of being flat and less susceptible to flooding, their high elevation and distance from rivers made water difficult to obtain. These geographical conditions led the people of Uenohara to develop various ingenious solutions.
Three shifting landmasses, three overlapping terraces.
Uenohara is a place where water flows, roads connect, and people thrive.
[Human ingenuity brought in water and opened up the region.]
To transport water to higher terraces above the rivers, people created water intakes in rivers and streams and dug long irrigation channels. They also built systems that used pipes at the bottom of valleys to send water to higher ground on the other side, and ponds to collect rainwater and stream water.
The water drawn in this way supported the rice paddies, fields, and the lives of the people in Uenohara. In Tomioka, Akiyama, beautiful terraced rice fields were created by diverting water down the mountain slopes.
In modern times, people utilized the abundant water resources of the Katsura River and the significant elevation differences of the terraces and valleys as a source of electricity. The Ohno Reservoir and Yatsusawa Power Plant facilities utilized the water and topography of Uenohara to support the electrification of Tokyo and the surrounding metropolitan area.
Furthermore, man-made waterfronts attract fish, aquatic plants, and wild birds, fostering new natural environments. Ohno Reservoir is now an important bird sanctuary for protecting and observing wild birds.
The story of "Water Opening" is about how human ingenuity transformed the inconveniences of the land into the richness of the region.
Three shifting landmasses, three overlapping terraces.
Uenohara is a place where water flows, roads connect, and people thrive.
[Roads connected people, goods, and cultures]
Uenohara is located in an important area connecting the Kanto Plain and Kai Province. People built roads by choosing relatively easy terrain such as ridges, flat terraces, and riverbanks, avoiding steep mountains and deep valleys.
During the Edo period, the Koshu Kaido road was developed, and post towns such as Uenohara-juku, Tsurukawa-juku, Nodajiri-juku, and Inume-juku flourished. The Tsurukawa ferry and boat transport on the Katsura River also supported local life by transporting people and goods.
In Akiyama, where the mountains were deep and it was difficult to build roads, the Tenjin Tunnel was constructed by digging through the mountains. The tunnel connected previously separated areas and greatly changed people's movement and lives.
In modern times, the Chuo Main Line was opened. Because it is difficult for railways to climb steep slopes, the tracks run along the middle of the terrace cliffs beside the Katsura River. Uenohara Station became the gateway to Uenohara, connecting the urban area on the terrace with the Katsura River flowing at a lower elevation.
The roads also fostered industry. Sericulture and weaving were practiced in settlements on terraces and in mountain valleys, producing textiles such as Kai silk. These textiles were gathered at markets along the Koshu Kaido road and transported to Edo (present-day Tokyo). Sake manju (steamed buns filled with sweet bean paste and sake), a favorite among the merchants who gathered at these markets, has been passed down as a representative food culture of Uenohara.
Through roads, waterways, river transport, and railways, not only agricultural products and goods, but also beliefs, festivals, food culture, technology, language, and people's thoughts and feelings were exchanged. This is the story of "roads connecting people."
Three shifting landmasses, three overlapping terraces.
Uenohara is a place where water flows, roads connect, and people thrive.
[The natural environment of Uenohara, nurtured by the land and passed down through generations]
In Uenohara, settlements were separated by mountains and deep valleys, while rivers, mountain passes, and roads connected the people. This overlap of "being separated" and "being connected" fostered different lifestyles and cultures in each region.
The desire to receive the blessings of nature and avoid disaster led to a belief in mountains and water. At shrines and altars throughout the country, including the Guntori Shrine nestled deep in the mountains, people's prayers for mountains, water, crops, and safe travels are passed down through generations.
Festivals and folk performing arts have also played an important role in preserving the bonds within communities. The "Museino no Dai Nenbutsu" passed down in Museino, Akiyama, is a nationally designated Important Intangible Folk Cultural Property that has been handed down to honor ancestors and pray for the safety of the people. The lion dances of Yuzuhara and Nishihara, the Kagura dances of Kozaike, and the festival music of Shinmachi and Honmachi have also connected people in their respective areas and passed on the memories of their communities to the next generation.
The experiences of people who traversed mountains, passes, and deep valleys are preserved in the form of folktales and legends. The story of Princess Hinatsuru, passed down in Akiyama, embodies the difficulty of crossing treacherous paths, the transience of human life, and the spirit of mourning for the deceased. Folktales are not always direct records of events that actually occurred. However, they are another record of the region, conveying what the people of that land feared and what they cherished.
The landscape of the area is also etched into the local language and songs. The school songs of Uenohara's elementary and junior high schools frequently mention the Katsura River, Tsurukawa River, mountain ranges, valleys, cliffs, and terraces. The phrase "on the Quaternary cliff" in the Uenohara Junior High School song is a unique example of how a geological term has been passed down through generations as a word describing the scenery of one's hometown.
The fact that settlements were separated by mountains and valleys is reflected in the regional expressions and pronunciations of place names. On the other hand, the Koshu Kaido road and railways facilitated travel between the Kanto and Kai regions, resulting in the overlap of languages and cultures introduced from outside. The dialects and names that remain in each region are cultural heritage that conveys the history of human movement and exchange.
The conditions of the land are reflected in the food we eat. In mountainous regions like Yuzuhara and Nishihara, where flat land is scarce, people have made use of slopes and small fields, combining grains, buckwheat, potatoes, beans, vegetables, and wild plants to create their diet. It's wisdom to use, preserve, and share what is available each season without waste.
Yuzuhara has gained attention for its food and lifestyle, and has become widely known as a "village of longevity." The dishes that have been passed down there are called "longevity foods." Longevity cannot be explained by a single ingredient, but the entire lifestyle of cultivating ingredients suited to the land, staying active, and supporting each other within the community is an important part of Uzuhara's culture.
Currently, local resources are being utilized in various ways, such as walking along the old Koshu Kaido road, mountain hiking, nature observation in rivers and reservoirs, experiencing terraced rice fields and rural villages, tours to visit festivals and folk tales, and sightseeing to sample sake manju (steamed buns filled with sweet bean paste) and longevity foods.
Sightseeing in Uenohara is not just about admiring beautiful scenery. It's about exploring, together with the local people, how this landscape came to be, how people live there, what they pray for, what they eat, and what industries and cultures they have cultivated.
Festivals, beliefs, folktales, food, language, industries, and wisdom of daily life, all born from the earth and nurtured over a long period of time, come together to create the unique "local character" of Uenohara.
Three shifting landmasses, three overlapping terraces.
Uenohara is a place where water flows, roads connect, and people thrive.
[Uenohara: Where people thrive alongside the land]
In present-day Uenohara, mountain villages, terraced rice fields, old post towns along highways, urban areas, railways, power generation facilities, industrial parks, and residential areas are layered on top of three large plains and terraces.
The people of Uenohara have not simply accepted the conditions of the land as they are. They have accumulated wisdom in how to draw water, build roads, protect slopes, and live in harmony with nature. And they have passed on this experience to the next generation in the form of festivals, folk tales, food, language, songs, and skills.
On the other hand, the presence of steep slopes, terrace cliffs, and rivers also teaches us the need to prepare for landslides, mudslides, and floods. Getting to know the land of Uenohara is not only about appreciating the region's charm, but also about protecting our own lives and livelihoods.
In some regions, population decline and aging are making it difficult to pass on festivals, traditional performing arts, farmland, irrigation canals, dialects, and traditional wisdom. However, simply preserving these things as relics of the past will not lead to a brighter future for the region.
It is important to learn about the origins of festivals, food culture, folk tales, and industries, along with the formation of the land, and to share this knowledge with people both inside and outside the region, using it for education, tourism, industry, disaster prevention, and community development. By creating a system where residents and visitors alike can learn, enjoy, and protect the region, the unique character of Uenohara will be passed on to the next generation.
The role of the Yamanashi Uenohara Geopark is to protect, learn from, and pass on to the future the formation of the land, the nature nurtured there, and the history and culture built by people, not as separate entities, but as a single, interconnected story.
On top of the earth's movements that have continued for approximately 90 million years, human activities have been superimposed, and the story of Uenohara continues to be woven even today.