Local tradition of mountain farmers in Japan and Batak area in industrial era 4.0

Abstract

Traditional societies have local knowledge in managing human relations with humans, human relationships with nature and human relations with God. Modern Japanese society recently still maintains its tradition, so it is often called Japan runs on two sides of culture, namely modern and traditional. In mountain farming in Japan, now agricultural activities are still carrying out ritual events such as the ritual of planting rice, rites weeding and repelling pests and rites of harvest and post-harvest. Japanese farmers do not kill wild animals in their fields but take precautions, so that wild animals do not come in to disturb their agriculture. Compared to mountain farming in North Sumatra, the traditional beliefs of the people have changed; they no longer carry out the traditional rites. Now farmers have hunted wild animals such as birds, bats, and snakes. Therefore, this situation is damaging the ecosystem because wild animals have been used as food so that there are many mice and planthopper pests/insects and for that, they use a lot of chemical poisons. This results in poor harvests and consequently, farmers being poor. Researchers use Fudo’s theory (The relationship of climate with the way of life of Watsuji Tetsuro) and the historical development theory of Saburo Ienaga and theories of comparative culture in examining the local wisdom of farming communities in these two ethnicities. This research shows how two nations which have relatively similar natural conditions but in historical development have different ways of life.