​

The history and culture of Madarao Highlands

​

The origin of the place name "Yabōzuka"

The area where pensions and hotels are lined up has long been called "Hachibozuka." So where did that name come from? Madarao Kogen spans both Nagano and Niigata prefectures, and roughly the south side of the main road that runs through the plateau (Prefectural Route 97 Iiyama Madarao Arai Line) is Iiyama City, Nagano Prefecture, and the north side is Myoko City, Niigata Prefecture, but both addresses use the place name "Hachibo" (Iiyama Hachibozuka, Iiyama City, and Tarumoto Hachibozu, Myoko City).
According to the Iiyama Town Chronicle, "In the old days, there was a lot of traffic on the eastern foot of Mt. Madarao, and the current Bundo village was originally Shinden in Hagiwara-juku, and Nagatamura village and others also developed largely as a result of the highway at the foot of Mt. Madarao. As the road fell into decline, the temples and other buildings in today's Bundo, namely Hagiwara Shinden and the old village of Tonya, which is now Kusano, became uninhabitable, so eight monks who lived in these villages buried sutras, Buddhist statues, and other items in this land, held memorial services for them for many years, and then retreated. The year was apparently 1293, 661 years ago." It is believed that this is why the area came to be called "Hachibozuka."
Based on these historical records, eight stone statues were erected on the plateau in memory of the eight monks in 2000, and people now enjoy making a pilgrimage to all eight temples.

​

History of Lake Hope

Lake Kibou, properly called Numa-no-ike (swamp pond), was formed by the eruption of Mt. Madarao. Originally a natural pond where water accumulated in a depression covered in thick volcanic ash, a levee was built in the Edo period and has been repaired several times since, and it has been used as a reservoir. Large-scale dam construction (total length 365m) was carried out over a period of eight years from 1953, and it has remained in place to this day. It is still used as an irrigation water source for the Yanagiwara district of Iiyama City, and the abundant water produced by heavy snowfall supports part of Iiyama's rice cultivation.
Lake Kibou is also known as the place where Kaii Higashiyama, a Japanese painter with deep ties to Shinshu, used as a model for his painting. His work, entitled "Seiei," can be seen as the curtain in the middle hall of the Nagano Prefectural Cultural Center.

​

​

History of Numanohara Marsh

Numanohara Marshland was once the site of a settlement called Hagiwara-juku, with records showing that there were 75 houses there during its most prosperous period during the Kyoho era (mid-Edo period, 1716-1735). It is said that Uesugi Kenshin's troops passed through this area on their way to the Battle of Kawanakajima, and it is believed to have played an important role in the exchange of goods and culture between the provinces of Shinano and Echigo.
During the Taisho era, the land was purchased to be used as a reservoir for generating electricity, and it is said that the last three remaining households left the village in 1926. The plan was then abandoned, and the abandoned land became an ideal habitat for marsh plants such as Asian skunk cabbage, marsh marigold, three-leaved Japanese iris, and other plants, which quietly formed large colonies unknown to the public.

​