Satoyama, Traditional Farming Landscape in Japan, Compared to Scandinavia

Traditional agricultural landscapes have developed through prehistoric and historic time independently in Japan and Northwestern Europe. However, land-use shows many similarities reflected in the landscape. Farming has been dependent on resources from marginal areas surrounding farm village areas, w...

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Veröffentlicht in:Japan Review. - International Research Centre for Japanese Studies, National Institute for the Humanities. - (2008), 20, Seite 53-68
1. Verfasser: Berglund, Björn E. (VerfasserIn)
Format: Online-Aufsatz
Sprache:English
Veröffentlicht: 2008
Zugriff auf das übergeordnete Werk:Japan Review
Schlagworte:Social sciences Biological sciences Physical sciences
Beschreibung
Zusammenfassung:Traditional agricultural landscapes have developed through prehistoric and historic time independently in Japan and Northwestern Europe. However, land-use shows many similarities reflected in the landscape. Farming has been dependent on resources from marginal areas surrounding farm village areas, which are named Satoyama woodlands in Japan and outlands in Scandinavia. The major resources have been timber, wood and charcoal fuel, litter for fertilizing, and food products such as nuts, berries, plant shoots, and mushrooms. Long-term land exploitation—sometimes overexploitation—caused deforestation and the development of open landscapes. More efficient land-concentrated agriculture has caused overgrowing, while forest regulations have led to afforestation in recent centuries. The major difference between the two regions is that European agriculture involved grazing by cattle and sheep, and this resulted in fences being erected between pastures and villages. In Japan the staple diet has been based on seafood and rice and therefore there has been no need for pastures; as a consequence no fences occur in the landscape. Modern societies in both regions have appreciated the recreation value of traditionally managed cultural landscapes, and there have been private and communal initiatives to restore some such landscapes that are adjacent to cities. 伝統的な農村風景は、歴史以前・以後を通して日本においても北欧においてもそれぞれ独自の発展をみてきた。しかしながら、その土地利用は多くの共通項を景観に反映させている。農業は、集落を囲む周辺の土地からの収穫物に依ってきた。日本においては、里山と呼ばれる森林地帯であり、スカンデイナビアにおいてはアウトランドと呼ばれる僻地である。主な収穫物は、樹木、木材、木巌、土地を肥沃にする腐葉土、そして木の実や木イチゴ、草木の芽、きのこなどがある。長期にわたる土地開発は—ときに開発過多に陥るが—森林破壊や開けた景観を生んできた。効率的な集約農業は雜草を蔓延らせ、一方で、ここ数世紀における森林統制は造林を促した。両国の主要な違いは、ヨーロツパの農業は牛や羊を放牧し、結果として牧草地と晨村との境に垣根を巡らしたことである。日本においては、常食が魚介類や米であったことから牧畜の必要性が低く、結果としてその景観に垣根というものが現れなかった。現代社会においては、両国とも伝統的に営まれてきた文化に基づいた景観の余暇価値に注目し、私的にも地方自治体としても、そのような近郊の景観の保護に積極的である。
ISSN:24343129