Agricultural Machinery Became a Wallow Turtle

Polder Museum of Ogata-Mura

(Ogata Village, Akita Prefecture)

【Kantaku-chi (干拓地)】 refers to “a polder" created by surrounding a water body with embankment and draining water from within. Typically, polders (kantaku-chi) are situated at a lower elevation than the surrounded area because they were originally part of a sea or lake bed. This newly reclaimed land is often used for agricultural expansion or urban development.

Unlike other villages with long histories, Ogata Village is a new village founded on October 1, 1964. It is established on a polder (kantaku-chi), through the recruitment of agricultural migrants.

The area was once Lake Hachirō, the second-largest lake in Japan. The lake underwent reclamation by creating levee and draining water under a part of a Japanese government project to expand agricultural fields, with technical assistance from the Netherlands, a pioneer in land reclamation. The land was transformed into orderly farming plots arranged in a grid, with each plot significantly larger than typical farmland in Japan.

Ogata Village is now one of the most successful village in Akita Prefecture. However, the development of the farmland was not a smooth journey. The pioneers suffered from dealing with sludge. The new farmland land was a lakebed, composed of sedimented sludge. The soil is soft, and farming machines often got stuck in the deep mud, spinning their caterpillars and flinging up mud. They sank deeper, making it difficult to escape on their own. These stuck machines were called "wallow turtles." To yank them out, another tractor was needed.

The pioneers overcame numerous challenges with the land and the government’s ever-changing agricultural policies. The region became one of Japan’s most productive rice-producing areas. Today, a variety of vegetables and fruits, in addition to rice, are grown on this land.

The Polder Museum of Ogata Village showcases the village’s history and efforts. Beyond its agricultural significance, Ogata Village is also a haven for seasonal flowers and wild birds.

There is a well-known folk tale about two dragons associated with Lake Ogata. Hachiro, a male dragon, lived in Lake Ogata, while Tatsuko, a female dragon, resided in Lake Tazawa, located east of Akita Prefecture. Both dragons were originally human. Hachiro violated the commandments of his village. Due to his behavior, he was cursed, transforming into a dragon. He was expelled from the village, wandered around, eventually creating Lake Ogata, becoming its guardian.

Tatsuko, a beautiful girl, desired eternal beauty. She prayed to the goddess of mercy for one hundred nights, eventually turning into a dragon, guardian of Lake Tazawa.

One day, Hachiro heard a rumor about Tatsuko through a migratory bird. He decided to meet her and traveled to Lake Tazawa. They fell in love each other, and Hachiro visited her every winter. Lake Tazawa gained two guardians as their love deepened. It became deeper and deeper. Meanwhile, Lake Ogata, having lost its guardian, gradually became shallower.

As told in folk tale, Lake Tazawa is Japan’s deepest lake, reaching a depth of 423 meters, while Lake Ogata was only 4 meters deep and suitable for land reclamation.