The Day the Wind Disappeared in Sogawa: Lost Landscapes Tell the Story of Lifestyle and Culture from the Late 1950s to the Period of High Economic Growth

The Day the Wind Disappeared in Sogawa: Lost Landscapes Tell the Story of Lifestyle and Culture from the Late 1950s to the Period of High Economic Growth

Sogawa's population peaked in 1957, but shortly thereafter, the rapid economic growth of the country led to an exodus of people to urban areas and the rapid depopulation of the mountain villages. The decline in population was not merely a matter of numbers, but a change that shook the very foundations of mountain village society. The daily life and culture of the mountain villages were supported by people's daily contact with nature, such as small tasks to protect the quality of river water, mountain work to maintain the forests, festivals, and communal work. However, with the loss of those who were responsible for these activities, the fish population in the Funado River declined, the vegetation in the forests became disturbed, and both nature and people's lives were quietly transformed.

Before the rapid economic growth brought economic wealth to the mountain villages, it deprived them of the time of life itself. The cash income available in the cities was attractive, and young people moved out one after another. As a result, the passing on of wisdom and skills ceased, the mountains and rivers became unkempt, and the cycle that had sustained the local community was broken. The loss in Sogawa is common to mountain villages throughout Japan, and the decline in population has undermined both the natural environment and lifestyle culture. While signs of the lifestyle of the past are fading, faint memories of the mountain village can still be found in the remaining landscape.