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TheKiso Valley (木曾谷,Kiso-dani) is a geographical area that centers on thevalley of the upper portions of theKiso River in the southwestern part ofNagano Prefecture inJapan. It is a v-shaped valley with length of approximately 60 km (36 mi) that follows the river as it flows from north by northwest to south by southwest intoGifu Prefecture.[1]
Through much of Japan's history, the Kiso Valley was used to connect the formerMino andShinanoprovinces. However, it came to be known as a difficult route because of its steep climbs. TheShoku Nihongi recorded that theKiso no Yamamichi (岐蘇山道) was opened in 702. The same route was again mentioned in a 713 article, but it was then called theKisoji no Michi (吉蘇路). TheKisoji (木曽路) would eventually follow the same path. However the officialTōsandō did not run through the Kiso Valley; instead, it ran from Mino Province towards theKamisaka Pass and into theIna Valley. During Japan's Middle Ages, theNakasendō, an old trade route, ran through the valley, which led to the creation of elevenpost stations along the route. Since theMeiji period, theChūō Main Line (for trains) andRoute 19 (for vehicles) have been cutting through the valley.
Most of the land consists of steep mountains, so there is little cultivated land. The land that is cultivated can be seen on the narrow flatland along the Kiso River. The area has abundant rainfall with annual precipitation of 3000mm. Forest Industry used to be common throughout the region but since the 1980s has declined.
During theTokugawa shogunate period, forestry development rapidly expanded. In addition, the Kiso River excavation business was promoted, making it possible to transport large amounts of timber. In the early modern times, the use of forest materials became significant and the depletion of forest resources became a concern, so theOwari-Tokugawa clan started to use forest conservation and deforestation control policies, resulting in the formation of vast cypress forests.After theMeiji era, the forest became a state-owned forest, and in 1889, it became a royal estate as a royal forest. It was designated as a national forest in 1947, after World War II and went under the jurisdiction of the Forestry Agency. After that, there was a large amount of destruction of trees by theIsewan Typhoon in 1959. At the time the forest industry used to be large, but price competition with imported foreign timber in the latter half of the 1980s, and the amount of timber harvested decreased.
The following communities are part of the Kiso Valley:
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