Why does a small village of 800 people issue NFT

be or not

Hello everyone! My name is Ryo Takeuchi (sound), from Japan. Now I work for a village representative in "Shankoshi". Maybe you have never heard of "Yamakoshi", which is the name of a small village among the heavy mountains in Niigata Prefecture, Japan. The village is small but has existed for thousands of years. Through municipal incorporation, the village is now part of a larger city called "Nagaoka". Before we get down to business, let me introduce a little bit about the village of Yamakoshi and why it is so unique.

In Yamakoshi, there is a lot of snowfall in winter, the snow is as thick as 3 meters, the terrain is rugged, and there is no flat land anywhere. No doubt the natural environment is harsh, but that's why we love this village. You may be surprised to say that "Yamakoshi" is the production area of koi. Did you know that before?

Times are not easy, but luckily we are surrounded by nature and live nearby. However, a major earthquake occurred in 2004—the Chuetsu earthquake in Niigata Prefecture, with a magnitude of about 6.8 on the Lee scale. The situation was like a catastrophe, and the whole village had to be evacuated. At that time, everyone thought there was no going back. We take this very seriously. In order to support the village again, we came up with the slogan "Return to Yamakoshi" and spent several years trying to return to the old place. This is the timing and reason why we "Yamakoshi Public Meeting Representatives" were born to help the village rebuild again.

Yet in order to make progress, we must face a sad truth. The sad fact is that when the earthquake happened, the population of the village was about 2,200, but now only 800 people still live here. Add to that the aging rate of over 55%, and if things continue to develop at this pace, Tani Shimura may disappear sooner or later.

We don't want to let it be. At all costs, we strive to find a technical means to ensure that the village of Yashimura, which has been handed down to us by history, survives into the future. Keep your heart and mind.

Digital Art x NFT-Abode

Some of you may have heard of "NFT", which stands for "Non-Fungible Token". What does it do? Data management is carried out by blockchain technology, so that the transaction history in the system cannot be changed. At the same time, through another technology called "smart contract", NFT can provide unique proof based on digital data. In this way, the NFT can show you who owns the digital data. Of course, the owner of this data can buy and sell it. Therefore, we can safely and conveniently buy and sell digital artworks in the market. At present, there have been successful cases of certain digital artworks (NFTs) being sold for millions of dollars.

The NFT created by Yamakoshimura has been officially recognized by Nagaoka City. The NFT is marked by a koi fish. It is not only an NFT, but also serves as the NFT-residence certificate of Yamagushi Village. Maybe you are not familiar with the term "NFT-Residency", but in 2004 the Nordic country Estonia launched "Electronic Residency", the two are very close.

As Japan's population as a whole continues to decline, Yamakoshi's population is actually unlikely to grow. We believe that interpreting the globally popular image of "koi" through the form of digital art and endowing it with social attributes can take a new step in NFT and regional revitalization.

Build a global digital relationship group through NFT

We named our NFT "Colored Carp". This is generative art, meaning that the artwork you see is generated by a computer algorithm. At the same time, as mentioned before, it also serves as a certificate of residence in Yamakoshi Village. Currently, it has no connection to the actual resident card or my digital card (the social security system in Japan), but it shows that we are all friends who feel the same way about Yamakoshi. By visualizing people who buy "Koi" NFT around the world on the blockchain, a global digital relationship group can be built, which also helps to promote the development of the project, and the income from the Koi NFT project can even help Yamagushi Village solve the needs Problems that can only be solved with financial resources.

For example, we are planning to invest aggressively and use Yashimura as a distribution base to launch educational programs that users around the world can participate in. We also plan to set up a fund to solve problems large and small in the local community, inviting some start-ups to come and use vacant houses and facilities. Also in the Discord community chat room to exchange new ideas and develop a business plan on how to protect the village. This will be the exclusive benefit of NFT holders. Our goal is to develop the community in as democratic a way as possible, such as collecting opinions and feedback from community members, voting, etc.

In the future (not very far away), we will focus on creating more value for koi holders that can be enjoyed in real life. We are currently considering building a residence where koi holders can live. We're trying to figure out how to thank and give back to holders and give them the most fun experience possible.

Nagaoka City has a population of about 270,000, while the Yamakoshi area (Yamakoshi Village to be exact) has a population of around 800. In government affairs, there is a huge difference between the two. From this perspective, establishing a relevant population in each district, while also securing its financial resources, regardless of municipal classification, would help brighten the future for underpopulated areas such as Yamakoshi.

Build a new digital village of "800" + "10,000"

Seventeen years have passed since the Great Earthquake and the incorporation into Nagaoka City. To be honest, facing many difficulties and challenges, the journey along the way can be described as bumpy. But the reason we were able to bounce back from that was because we've always wanted to rebuild a brand new Yashimura. Always for this village. That's why we decided, not to rebuild a village inhabited only by locals, but to create a unique autonomous village to house 800 local residents and 10,000 global digital residents - our koi holders.

The village is deep in the mountains, and what's worse, it's still on the cusp of depopulation. Yet through the koi industry, we have been connected to the outside world. We've learned that national borders and physical limitations don't matter when it comes to things of real value.

We are committed to building a digital village of "Shankoshi" that is open to the world. The "Koi" NFT will be a bridge between you and me, and of course this small village. This will be the first trial in the world. The knowledge, network and all the resources of the 10,000 digital residents will be pooled to build a new sustainable "Yamakoshi" whose financial resources and governance will not be affected by the real world. By merging reality—preserving natural resources and unique cultures like the koi carp—with an infinitely expanding metaverse, the real and digital inhabitants of Yamakoshi will develop our living heritage into shared wealth.

team member

A group of people with a common vision for the future of Yamakoshi formed a team, and we worked with them to continue this project. We think they are the pioneers of the digital dwellers, they have fun with this crazy idea, they try to understand the village, and they bring their knowledge to the project. We are sincerely grateful for being able to imagine the future of the village and work together. We'd love it if you'd like to join us as the next digital resident!

Looking forward to meeting you there!

Author: Yamakoshi Public Meeting

Translator: Roy

Proofreading: rich second generation