CONSTRUCTION, REPAIR AND MANAGEMENT OF THE MOUNTAIN HUTS OWNED BY OTAKI VILLAGE ON MT. ONTAKE

The residents of Otaki Village on Mt. Ontake won tenders for the construction, repair, and management of chagoya (mountain huts) owned by the village from the late Edo to the mid-Showa period that had been developed by villagers, including loggers, carpenters, masons, chagoya keepers and porters. After World War II, bus routes to the mountainside were opened. Winning bids for management of chagoya rapidly soared, and most villagers could no longer participate in the tenders. Moreover, the villagers’ life style changed, making seasonal work more difficult. These changes caused a lack of expansion and destruction of chagoya.