Ueda Basin

A basin that straddles both banks of the Chikuma River in the central-eastern part of Nagano Prefecture, centered on the Ueda City area along the Chikuma River. It was previously called the Chiisagata Basin. The area is about 400 to 600 meters above sea level, and the western side (left bank) of the Chikuma River is called Shiodaira, and is a low-lying area made up of alluvial plains of small rivers. The eastern side (right bank) is mostly volcanic foothills made up of mudflows from Eboshi Volcano (2,066 meters). The latter is traversed by the Hokuriku Shinkansen, Shinano Railway, National Route 18, Joshinetsu Expressway, and other roads, and factories and restaurants have been established along Route 18, leading to urbanization. Shiodaira is far from the main transportation routes, so it is a purely rural area centered on rice paddies and fruit trees. The average annual temperature exceeds 12°C, making it one of the warmer regions in Shinshu. The annual precipitation does not reach 1000mm, and there are many reservoirs. As it is an inland area, summers can get quite hot. Historically, the ancient Shinano Kokufu was located on the right bank of the Chikuma River, in the eastern outskirts of Ueda city, and the Tosando road also passed through the area, so development was rapid.

[Hiroyoshi Kobayashi]

"Ueda Basin Historical Timeline" by Toshio Shimizu (1963, Ueda City) " "Local Geography of the Ueda Basin" (1968, Ueda City Museum)

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

長野県中東部、千曲川(ちくまがわ)に沿う上田市街地を中心に、千曲川の両岸にまたがる盆地。従来は小県盆地(ちいさがたぼんち)といわれた。標高は約400～600メートルほどで、千曲川を挟んでこの西側（左岸）は塩田平(しおだだいら)とよばれ、小河川の沖積地からなる低平な地域をなす。東側（右岸）は烏帽子火山(えぼしかざん)（2066メートル）の泥流からなる火山山麓(さんろく)が大部分を占める。後者は北陸新幹線、しなの鉄道、国道18号、上信越自動車道などが通り、18号に沿って工場や飲食店が進出し、都市化が進んでいる。塩田平は幹線交通路より離れているので、水稲と果樹を中心にした純農村地帯である。年平均気温は12℃を超え、信州では温暖な地域の一つである。年降水量は1000ミリメートルに達せず、溜池(ためいけ)が多い。夏は内陸性のためかなり高温になる。歴史上では古代信濃国府(しなのこくふ)が千曲川右岸、上田市街地東郊に置かれ、東山道(とうさんどう)も通り、開発は早かった。

［小林寛義］

『清水利雄著『上田盆地歴史年表』（1963・上田市）』▽『『郷土の地誌上田盆地』（1968・上田市立博物館）』

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