Nihonbara

A plateau in the south foot of the Nagi mountain range in the Chugoku Mountains, in the northeastern part of Okayama Prefecture. It straddles Nagi Town in Katsuta County and the eastern part of Tsuyama City. It is a complex alluvial fan plateau at an altitude of 200 to 400 meters, and was called Hirodono or Goshono, but it is said that it came to be called Nihon-no or Nihon-genya after a man named Gohei set up a tea shop there around the Shoho era (1644-1648). Development was delayed due to poor water availability, volcanic ash soil, and the Hiroto wind, and an attempt to cultivate the land as a samurai employment program in the early Meiji period also failed, and in 1909 (Meiji 42) most of it became an army training ground. Currently, the northern part is a training ground for the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force. The area south of National Route 53 is farmland, where tea, green apples, vegetables, and dairy farming are cultivated.

[Shogo Yuihama]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

岡山県北東部、中国山地の那岐(なぎ)連峰南麓(ろく)の高原。勝田(かつた)郡奈義(なぎ)町と津山市東部にまたがる。標高200～400メートルの複合扇状地性台地で、広戸野(ひろどの)、御所野(ごしょの)とよばれていたが、正保(しょうほう)年間（1644～1648）ごろ五兵衛という者が茶店を設けてから日本野または日本原野とよばれるようになったという。水利の不便、火山灰性土壌、広戸(ひろと)風などのため開発が遅れ、明治初期に士族授産事業としての開墾も失敗、1909年（明治42）大部分が陸軍演習場となった。現在、北部は陸上自衛隊演習場。国道53号以南は農地となり、茶、青リンゴ、蔬菜(そさい)栽培や酪農などが行われる。

［由比浜省吾］

出典　小学館　日本大百科全書(ニッポニカ)日本大百科全書(ニッポニカ)について　情報 | 凡例