illustration : copyright (c) Hiroshi takatsuki

Communal life was the standard in Japan’s traditional farming villages, where people often worked together on rice paddies to grow and harvest rice, the staple food. Villagers observed the norm of caring for each other and maintaining group harmony to sustain the communal stability. During the Edo period, many commoners resided in nagaya or row houses run and managed by the oya, the caretaker, which formed a community of their own. Also, in the absence of official fire brigades, Edo citizens organized mutual-help, fire-fighting teams composed mostly of volunteers who rushed to the scene in case of fire. These examples illustrate how community members devised ways to support each other, which in turn helped each individual weather ups and downs in his or her life.

Traditional wisdom lives on

Kobunaki Eco-Village Supported by Community Members
Eco-village as a program to practice sustainable lifestyle is turning into a worldwide movement. As an example of eco-village project in Japan, the development of Kobunaki Eco-Village is under way in Omi-hachiman City, Shiga Prefecture in western Japan. Agriculture, the City’s primary industry, takes the center stage in the Kobunaki Eco-Village plan, which is designed to enable its residents to keep their jobs and practice a farming-oriented lifestyle without going out of their way. There is a huge interest in the future development of this program that offers a place for residents to enjoy together and think and learn ways to move closer to a sustainable life. The Village is currently occupied by about 80 households comprising diverse age groups, primarily young families in their thirties. Kobunaki Eco-village offers an opportunity for three generations of its residents to interact with each other at vegetable gardens and other locations in the Village.

Is this another illustration of “wisdom?”

• Essence of the Japanese word, otagaisama (meaning, we might as well help each other as we are all on the same boat together).
• Splitting the tab at drinking parties and other gatherings
• Affection for one’s hometown, as exhibited by local folks flocking to Koshien Stadium in a show of enthusiastic support for their hometown high school baseball teams

Key words that describe this wisdom

• “Harmony is to be valued, and an avoidance of wanton opposition to be honored” (Seventeen-Article Constitution published in 720, a document authored by Prince Sh?toku in 602)
• The oya system found in nagaya row houses in the Edo period
• Fire-fighting team “Iroha Shiju-hachi Kumi” organized by private citizens in the Edo period

Comments from visitors

Let us know your comments on this topic !
Let us know your comments on this topic !
Please click here, move to Questionnaire page