The Characteristics of Mountain Landscapes Viewed From the Municipalities Surrounding the Kirishima Volcano Group

摘要

The Kirishima mountain range, located in southern Kyushu in Japan, consists of more than twenty volcanoes(the highest peak 1,700m) and volcanic lakes.Because volcanic eruptions often burn away vegetation, stages of the range's natural succession all differ, presenting diverse flora.This is a massif or a mass of mountains that has, since ancient times, been revered by locals and at the same time loved as a tourist spot.The vistas of the Kirishima mountain range vary de pending on the viewing location, elevation, season, and time of the day.The seven surroundingmunicipalities use pictures of the Kirishima range as their symbol, which they display through a number of information media outlets.These photographs show the geographical characteristics of the respective municipalities and have advertising power, both for themselves and their tourist facilities;thus, landscape photographs favored by local residents are often used.The purpose of this study was to understand the features of excellent landscapes, which had been painstakingly selected from among many scenic images of the Kirishima Mountain Range in individual municipalities, by the method of landscape analysis, and then clarify their characteristics.In this study, 390 photographs of the Kirishima mountain range as their primary subject were selected from the official websites of the seven municipalities, their tourist brochures, the websites of tourist spots, and from photo collections published by local photographers.Those photographs were then analyzed with respect to location of photography, landscape structure, landscape components, season, and time of the day.It was clarified that pictures of the Kirishima range viewed from individual municipalities are used to help nurture their local identity, publicize the region's geological uniqueness and natural scenic charm, and promote the locations of individual tourist spots and their scenic allure.