The Scenic areas of Ihatov (イーハトーブの風景地, Īhatōbu no fūkeichi) is a cluster of landmarks in Iwate Prefecture, Japan connected with the writings of Meiji period author Kenji Miyazawa in Iwate Prefecture, Japan. These locations were collectively designated a Place of Scenic Beauty in 2005.[1]
| Scenic areas of Ihatov | |
|---|---|
 Taneyama Plains | |
| Location | Iwate Prefecture, Japan |
| Established | 2005 |
  Mt Kurakake Nanatsu Forest Oi Forest Kamabuchi Falls Gorin Pass Taneyama Plains England Coast Scenic areas of Ihatov (Iwate Prefecture)  Nanatsu Forest Oi Forest Kamabuchi Falls Gorin Pass Taneyama Plains England Coast Scenic areas of Ihatov (Japan) | |
Overview
editIhatov is the name of a fictional land derived from the word "Iwate" as a toponym created by author Kenji Miyazawa.[2] In the author’s works Ihatov is a utopia which ranges from small islands in vast oceans and includes deserts and continents; however, it shares a number of things on common with Iwate, including a tendency towards natural disasters, and a resilient population.
The Place of Scenic Beauty designation spanned six locations in the municipalities of Hanamaki (Miyazawa's birthplace), Ōshū, Shizukuishi, Sumita, Hanamaki Tōno and Takizawa, to which a seventh location was added in 2006. Each of the locations appears in one or more of Miyazawa's poems.
- Kurakakeyama or Mount Kurakake (鞍掛山), Takizawa
- Nanatsumori or Nanatsu Forest (七つ森), Shizukuishi
- Oi no Mori or Oi Forest (狼森), Shizukuishi
- Kamabuchi no Taki or Kamabuchi Falls (釜淵の滝), Hanamaki
- Gorin Tōge or Gorin Pass (五輪峠), Hanamaki, Tōno, Ōshū
- Taneyamagahara or Taneyama Plains (種山ヶ原), Ōshū, Sumida
- Igirisu Kaigan or England Coast (イギリス海岸), Hanamaki
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "イーハトーブの風景地". Agency for Cultural Affairs. Retrieved 10 April 2020.
- ^ Yonechi Fumio (1995). "Geographical Study on Source and Transition of Original Place Name "Ihatov" used by Kenji Miyazawa (宮沢賢治の創作地名「イーハトーブ」の由来と変化に関する地理学的考察)". Annual Report of the Faculty of Education, University of Iwate (in Japanese). 55 (2): 45–64.