3
Soil Classification and Distribution
Hitoshi Shinjo and Yusuke Takata
Abstract
The Japanese Society of Pedology released the “Soil
Classification System of Japan,” the latest version of the
comprehensive soil classification system in Japan.
According to this classification system, the area of each
soil group is calculated and soil map is produced.
Andosols are found along volcanic areas, Brown Forest
soils and Cambic Red-Yellow soils (refer to Cambisols)
are distributed in steep mountainous zones far from active
volcanoes, and Fluvic soils cover narrow lowlands.
Cultivated land accounts for 12% of the total land surface
and is mainly distributed in the plains. Thus, Fluvic soils
show the largest distribution area (47%), followed by
Andosols (29%) in the cultivated land. Nutrient imbalance, soil organic matter decline, heavy metal contamination, and soil sealing are major threats to Japanese
agricultural soils.
Keywords
Soil classification Á Soil map Á Soil resources
3.1 Soil Classification
3.1.1 History of Soil Classification in Japan
1
The development of a natural soil classification system in
Japan was initiated in 1882 by the provincial soil survey
conducted under the leadership of Dr. Max Fesca, a German
scholar. This survey produced soil maps for all prefectures
except Hokkaido and Okinawa by 1948. However, its classification used the criteria of surface geology, soil texture,
and humus content following the agro-geological view of
soil, rather than the view of soil formation factors that had
recently emerged in those days. After World War II, soil
classification in Japan, closely associated with various soil
investigation projects, has developed uniquely for each land
use, namely forest, upland field, and paddy field. Some of
these achievements can be represented by the Classification
of Forest Soils in Japan (1975) (Forest Soil Division 1976)
and the Classification of Cultivated Soils in Japan (2nd
Approximation) (Division 3 of Soils 1977). Although the
basic land classification survey commenced in 1954 in order
to produce a soil map covering all the above land uses, their
classification criteria were not uniform across forest and
cultivated land.
Against this background, the Japanese Society of Pedology noted the significance of having a comprehensive and
internationally referable classification system and began
working toward its realization in 1963. As a result, the first
and second approximations were released in 1986 and 2003,
respectively. Based partly on the second approximation,
Obara et al. (2011) proposed to replace the classification of
cultivated soils with a more comprehensive classification
system to classify the soils of Japan regardless of land use.
By revising this proposal, the Japanese Society of Pedology
released the “Soil Classification System of Japan” (The Fifth
Committee for Soil Classification and Nomenclature 2017),
which is the latest version of the comprehensive soil classification system in Japan. In the following section, some
features of this classification system are described.
H. Shinjo (&)
Graduate School of Global Environmental Studies, Kyoto
University, Kyoto City, Kyoto Prefecture, Japan
e-mail: shinjo.hitoshi.4x@kyoto-u.ac.jp
Y. Takata
Institute for Agro-Environmental Sciences, NARO, Tsukuba City,
Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan
1
This section is mainly indebted to the preface to the Unified Soil
Classification System of Japan, 2nd Approximation (2002), written
by the late Prof. Dr. T. Hamazaki, the then President of the Japanese
Society of Pedology.
© Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. 2021
R. Hatano et al. (eds.), The Soils of Japan, World Soils Book Series,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-15-8229-5_3
53
Soil Classification and Distribution
Hitoshi Shinjo and Yusuke Takata
Abstract
The Japanese Society of Pedology released the “Soil
Classification System of Japan,” the latest version of the
comprehensive soil classification system in Japan.
According to this classification system, the area of each
soil group is calculated and soil map is produced.
Andosols are found along volcanic areas, Brown Forest
soils and Cambic Red-Yellow soils (refer to Cambisols)
are distributed in steep mountainous zones far from active
volcanoes, and Fluvic soils cover narrow lowlands.
Cultivated land accounts for 12% of the total land surface
and is mainly distributed in the plains. Thus, Fluvic soils
show the largest distribution area (47%), followed by
Andosols (29%) in the cultivated land. Nutrient imbalance, soil organic matter decline, heavy metal contamination, and soil sealing are major threats to Japanese
agricultural soils.
Keywords
Soil classification Á Soil map Á Soil resources
3.1 Soil Classification
3.1.1 History of Soil Classification in Japan
1
The development of a natural soil classification system in
Japan was initiated in 1882 by the provincial soil survey
conducted under the leadership of Dr. Max Fesca, a German
scholar. This survey produced soil maps for all prefectures
except Hokkaido and Okinawa by 1948. However, its classification used the criteria of surface geology, soil texture,
and humus content following the agro-geological view of
soil, rather than the view of soil formation factors that had
recently emerged in those days. After World War II, soil
classification in Japan, closely associated with various soil
investigation projects, has developed uniquely for each land
use, namely forest, upland field, and paddy field. Some of
these achievements can be represented by the Classification
of Forest Soils in Japan (1975) (Forest Soil Division 1976)
and the Classification of Cultivated Soils in Japan (2nd
Approximation) (Division 3 of Soils 1977). Although the
basic land classification survey commenced in 1954 in order
to produce a soil map covering all the above land uses, their
classification criteria were not uniform across forest and
cultivated land.
Against this background, the Japanese Society of Pedology noted the significance of having a comprehensive and
internationally referable classification system and began
working toward its realization in 1963. As a result, the first
and second approximations were released in 1986 and 2003,
respectively. Based partly on the second approximation,
Obara et al. (2011) proposed to replace the classification of
cultivated soils with a more comprehensive classification
system to classify the soils of Japan regardless of land use.
By revising this proposal, the Japanese Society of Pedology
released the “Soil Classification System of Japan” (The Fifth
Committee for Soil Classification and Nomenclature 2017),
which is the latest version of the comprehensive soil classification system in Japan. In the following section, some
features of this classification system are described.
H. Shinjo (&)
Graduate School of Global Environmental Studies, Kyoto
University, Kyoto City, Kyoto Prefecture, Japan
e-mail: shinjo.hitoshi.4x@kyoto-u.ac.jp
Y. Takata
Institute for Agro-Environmental Sciences, NARO, Tsukuba City,
Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan
1
This section is mainly indebted to the preface to the Unified Soil
Classification System of Japan, 2nd Approximation (2002), written
by the late Prof. Dr. T. Hamazaki, the then President of the Japanese
Society of Pedology.
© Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. 2021
R. Hatano et al. (eds.), The Soils of Japan, World Soils Book Series,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-15-8229-5_3
53