Japan’s Traditional View of Nature and Interpretation of Landscape

Abstract

Recently a few Japanese geographers became aware that the concept of nature in modern geography differs from that of traditional Japanese thought. As modern geography in Japan was formed by the influence of European geography, most academic geographers in Japan have followed the occidental view that proposed an opposition between cultural and natural landscapes and that, due to the belief in man’s power, sees the former as superior to the latter. From an economic viewpoint, in fact, the European concept of nature which is opposed to culture has contributed to land exploitation that caused the destruction of Japan’s natural landscape.The time has come to consider the traditional Japanese idea of nature as Kami (gods) in comparison with the binary opposition of nature/culture which derives from modern rationalism. Kami who represent elements of nature belonged to a Pantheon in ancient Japan. Some examples of the Kami’s names and their English explanations are as follows: Amaterasuornikami (goddess of sun), Oyarnatsumi-no-kami (god of the mountain’s spirit), Nozuchi-no-kami (god of the field’s spirit). In ancient Japan people believed that natural landscapes were created and inhabited by these Kami, and that the will of these Kami controlled the cultural domain. However, people provided shrines for Kami to placate their reckless domination. In this context, culture is in the hands of nature. This idea of nature’s superiority to culture can explain the Japanese geographical concept of landscape.KeywordsTraditional ViewNatural LandscapeEighth CenturyBinary OppositionCentral Place TheoryThese keywords were added by machine and not by the authors. This process is experimental and the keywords may be updated as the learning algorithm improves.