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Lookup NU author(s): Professor Takeshi Nakagawa
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Karikomi Lake is located in the border area between the Hida and Echizen regions (36° 04'N, 135° 44'E) at 1075 m a.s.l., in the Hakusan mountains. Several villages are located near the lake where hansaibai was practised in the past, i.e. horse-chestnut trees (Aesculus turbinata) were favoured for their nuts which were gathered and processed as an important food source. To understand how the forest was used for this purpose, a core was taken from Karikomi Lake and the past vegetation was reconstructed through pollen analysis of the lake sediment. Climate deterioration caused by the Little Ice Age impinged severely on the local population and seems to have played a key role in the development of hansaibai and reliance on horse chestnut as a major food source. The pollen analytical data suggest that hansaibai was associated with increased frequency of famine periods during the Little Ice Age in Japan, although human impact in the vicinity of the lake began much earlier, in the 8th century A.D. Deforestation and economic development during the twentieth century have led to abandonment of the use of horse chestnut as a major food source and the replacement of Aesculus by Fagus in the local forest which lies within lands designated as a National Park. © Springer-Verlag 2004.
Author(s): Kitagawa J, Nakagawa T, Fujiki T, Yamaguchi K, Yasuda Y
Publication type: Article
Publication status: Published
Journal: Vegetation History and Archaeobotany
Year: 2004
Volume: 13
Issue: 2
Pages: 105-113
Print publication date: 01/06/2004
ISSN (print): 0939-6314
ISSN (electronic): 1617-6278
URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00334-004-0032-0
DOI: 10.1007/s00334-004-0032-0
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