日本の湖水地方みたいな風景

人が営々と築き上げて来たいわゆる田舎の原風景が荒廃する場所に出会うと寂しい。新潟県内でも限界集落だろうと思われる場所が多く、人が住まなくなった地域を時々見るようになりました。戦後80年経過し、農林業の就労人口も減って都会に吸い寄せられ続けました。政府や農林水産省と農業団体の癒着や失政、食料自給率の低下と共に戻れないところまで来てしまっている。さらに昨年から今年にかけての米価高騰は、まさに農林族・省・農業団体の馴れ合いの構図のせい。備蓄米を放出したと言われているのに、農業団体は米価格が下がらないように政府と協調して嘘をつき続けている。いわくどこかの卸業者が価格を釣り上げるために隠しているのだろうと。

脇道に逸れてしまいました。

イギリスの湖水地方に行ったことはありませんが、写真で見た景観は水辺や小高い山そして広い草原のなか延々と続く石垣やポツンと佇む農家などの風景。半ば人間くさい湖水地方の風景と近いものをここで感じた。新潟でも人の手が入らない風景は稀だろう。人の手が入っていながらも新潟らしい風景を残すことが肝心なことだとずっと思っていた。

ピクチャレスクという言葉があり、つい写真を撮影したくなる絵のような風景だ。ここからの風景は新潟の原風景のひとつ。イギリスで愛される湖水地方にも通じる。農山村などの山懐の風景は人口減少で一層荒廃しつつある。人がいなくなった中山間地の風景の方がもとの美しさを取り戻す可能性もあるが、おそらく首都圏への集中と引き換えに荒廃してゆくのだろう。

It is sad to encounter places where the so-called original landscape of the countryside, which people have been building up over time, is in ruins. Even within Niigata Prefecture, there are many places that are thought to be marginal settlements, and I sometimes see areas that are no longer inhabited. Eighty years have passed since the end of the war, and the number of people working in agriculture and forestry has continued to be sucked into the cities. It has reached a point of no return along with the collusion and mismanagement between the government, the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries and agricultural organizations, and the decline in food self-sufficiency. Furthermore, the sharp rise in rice prices from last year to this year is precisely because of the familiar composition of the agriculture and forestry families, the ministry, and agricultural organizations. Despite the alleged release of stockpiled rice, agricultural groups continue to lie in concert with the government to keep rice prices from falling. They say that some wholesaler is hiding it to drive up the price.

I have been sidetracked.

I have never been to the Lake District in the U.K., but the scenery I have seen in photographs is of long stone walls and isolated farmhouses set amidst water, small mountains, and wide grassy plains. I felt something similar to the half-human landscape of the Lake District here. Even in Niigata, it is rare to find a landscape that has not been touched by human hands. I have always thought that it is important to preserve landscapes that are unique to Niigata even though they have been touched by human hands.

The word “picturesque” is used to describe this picturesque landscape, which makes me want to take pictures of it. The scenery from here is one of Niigata’s original landscapes. It is similar to the Lake District, which is loved in England. The landscape of mountainous areas such as farming villages is becoming more and more desolate due to the decrease in population. There is a possibility that the landscapes in the mountainous areas may regain their original beauty, but they will probably be devastated in exchange for the concentration of people in the Tokyo metropolitan area.

EOS5DMarkⅣ 35mm 1/125秒　f:11

©️photo by Nakamura Osamu