ブックタイトル秋吉台国際芸術村　Akiyoshidai International Art Village　レジデンス・サポート・プログラム　Residence Support Program

概要

秋吉台国際芸術村　Akiyoshidai International Art Village　レジデンス・サポート・プログラム　Residence Support Program

77Introduce the Features of This LandEvery year, we invite the artists and staff of this program to Yamayaki *1 on the Akiyoshidai plateau. We climb amountain with the community of Tonogawachi in Aokage district where I live, and let them observe the Japan'slargest prescribed burning there. This event is popular with them because it is simply overwhelming and theycan directly see the process of Yamayaki with a fine view of the whole Akiyoshidai, where the flame and windmove on the slope of steep land making a roaring sound. Yet, such an act as Yamayaki must be implausiblefor those from Scandinavia where people are rigorous with the natural environment. Each country has its owncustoms indeed. There is a country where they fell and burn off the vast primeval forest to make an arable landfor instance, and that is what I want them to see.Now, what racks our brains every time is the weather. Since it is supposed to be postponed for a week in caseof rain, we constantly look at a weather map 4 to 5 days prior to Yamayaki. This year again, the weather forecastfor a day before the event is rain. If postponed, it will be swamped with their exhibition and they may not beable to come. Therefore, asking a favor of the director of Akiyoshidai International Art Village, the chairperson ofShuho International Cultural Association, a union president of local agriculture association, and a headpersonof local community, we discussed and hurriedly decided to go up a mountain to share a story of Yamayaki inany case, and to have a cultural exchange meeting because the theme for this year's program is "The Featuresof This Land".As expected, it was postponed as it rained the day before. Fortunately however, since it was clear weather onthe day, we managed to take a walk in a cold wind on a massive desolate field of Akiyoshidai Karst Plateau.After Yamayaki , the grass starts sprouting up on the plateau, and it becomes provender for horses and cattle,which then produce fertilizer for the land. The rain poured on the plateau sinks into the ground, which latersprings up at the foot of a hill. In the village, people wash vegetables and do the washing at the spring. Theyworship the god of water in the vicinity of spring and thank gifts from the land. I explained a story aboutthe nature and our lives on the karst plateau, referring to Doline cultivation and pine trees on a main road ofAkiyoshidai, but these stories are now all in the past.We held a cultural exchange meeting for the artists and staff as well as the locals, and had lunch together at theTonogawachi meeting house. The local people kindly talked about how we cooperated and helped each otherto survive under the circumstances of depopulation and aging. I am not certain if that is an attractive feature ofthis area, but there certainly is such a region as this. "Match with water. Love to flowers. Encounter with people.A village of AI"*2 ? this is a motto of a women's committee of our village and, I think that the artists understandtheir feelings too. And, I got to know that there were also problems relating to depopulation and aging in theircountries.Urban-rural Exchange, The Representative of OmusubinosatoToru Yoshimura*1: Yamayaki is to burn the dead grass of a hill.*2: In Japanese "ai" means "match", "love", and "encounter".