Sustainable water management and agriculture, forestry and livestock systems in the Okuizumo region, where tatara ironmaking has been reapplied, are evaluated
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO, headquartered in Rome) recognizes World Heritage sites as globally valuable agricultural, forestry and fisheries systems with the aim of protecting traditional agriculture and rural culture that should be passed on to future generations.
Okuizumo is located in the mountainous region of the Chugoku region, and is an area where the ancient Japanese iron-making method of "Tatara iron-making," which was introduced in Studio Ghibli's "Princess Mononoke," was practiced. For over 500 years, the method of "Kannagashi," in which the acidity is reduced to extract iron sand, the raw material for tamahagane steel, which is essential for making Japanese swords, and the iron sand is separated from the soil by water currents, has continued.
The mining site has been developed into rice terraces, and the waterways and reservoirs have been repurposed for agricultural use to produce the brand rice Nita Rice. The inheritance of diversified agriculture has been highly praised.
