week 7

Prehistoric Japan (14,000 BC to 300 BC) Neolithic culture, Jomon Period (when Japan was connected to Asia, after separation, Kyushu still remained the closest point with many small islands)

yayoi era (300 BC 250 AD) (originated in Kyushu from Korean Peninsula, spread throughout Japan, started agriculture)

Climate and Geography

• in contrast Tohoku people were called lazy because of the non productive winters (Kyushu as year round growing season)

Today: volcanoes, grasslands, forests, mountains (food tourism in Kyushu)

• Kyushu was feared in that past “unknown” and at the “edge of the known world”
• Miyazaki (where many myths, Nihongi/Nihonshoki sites)
• separate culture, “barbaric”, still a little of that left today allowing it remain the wild, agricultural area that it is
  

within Japan, Kyushu Mountains divide

Gateway to Japan (starting in 1200s) 

• Hirado: Mongolians, Chinese
• Portuguese (blown off course, currents of the water), Spaniards, Dutch, English
• Sweet potato was introduced, now traditional Japanese food (yakiimo)
• Dutch remained during Tokugawa
  

Kyushu Agriculture Today

• “Food Island” produces 1/5 of Japan’s agricultural goods
• hot springs (due to volcanoes)
• many natural resources (fresh water springs, for example)
• food tourism (Giant Daikon, Kuro buta, karashi mentaiko, hiyajiru, taco rice...)
• Ajisen Ramen, gyoza, Shochu (sweet potato in Kagoshima)
• Aso (largest crater basin in the world, beautiful, fertile, agricultural) 

SO SUMMARY:

• Begin with how geography and location of Kyushu has helped define it as the “gateway to Japan”. 
• Introduce history of Kyushu, prehistoric, neolithic (where agriculture became prominent). 
• Introduce Kyushu geography/climate as we know it today (volcanoes, mountains, islands, lowlands, seasides). 
• Mention Miyazaki as the site for landings of the Gods (such Amatersu). 
• Why Kyushu has been a little separated from Japan (preserve agricultural and older traditions due to mountains, island formation...)
• How many cultures were arrived at Kyushu (basically every foreign influence came through Kyushu). 
• How that influenced their food cultures (for example intro of the sweet potato, ramen...). 
• Kyushu: face of agrarian Japan “Food island” (rest of Japan doesn’t acknowledge despite the proof...) 
• How then Kyushu has embraced that and created identity from their food culture (Ajisen is Kyushu based, potato based Shochu, gyoza etc...) throughout Japan and even the world. 

THEORETICAL APPROACH:

Hopefully I can show how Kyushu has been a pioneer in the development of and stability of Japanese food cultures as we know it today through looking into: history (of why Kyushu is important), sociology - culture in Japan (why Kyushu is on the periphery), identity (roots in agriculture), current issues with agriculture, globalization (vs. regionalism in Japan and how regionalism is supported in Kyushu). 

METHODOLOGY:

1.) I’d like to begin with geography, what is significant? (location, water currents, change) which is directly related to...

2.) Importance of the Kyushu:

a.)the history is necessary to set up intro to agriculture also “flow” into Kyushu

  b.) mentioning that Kyushu (miyazaki) is origin/important in mythological history (due to its natural beauty - takachiho) 

  c.) foreigners through ports (due to geography), trade happened which leads to...

3.) Food cultures: 

a.) look into the importance of the open (and later closed) ports and affect on the food culture

b.) Kyushu developed with strong agricultural ties, supporting a lot of regional food cultures also influenced by the contact with foreigners.

c.) Japan doesn’t really recognize Kyushu on these terms (rather more of a preservation of agrarian Japan?) 

d.) Despite this, Kyushu has made a print on Japan and even the world - whether anyone realizes it or not (Ajisen Ramen, for one example). 




SOURCES NOW and ONWARD:

found some information in books though it is difficult to find anything specific to Kyushu (since it is so overlooked!). However there is a lot on the internet, city promos, regional pride etc...

Hopefully I can find more specific examples of how exactly food got from kyushu to the rest of Japan. 

Food island: http://www.kyuden.co.jp/en_investq_industries_food.html
Company:-http://www.toyoshinyaku.co.jp/english/about_us/history.html
National agri. research https://www.naro.affrc.go.jp/english/research/index.html

Kyushu Info: http://factsanddetails.com/japan.php?itemid=960&catid=25&subcatid=171
       Source: Tracy Dalby, National Geographic, January 1994] Website: Kyushu Tourism Promotion Welcome Kyushu
yayoi people : http://www.yamasa.org/history/english/yayoi_jidai.html
Yayoi People (deep): http://www.jstor.org/stable/40315778?&Search=yes&searchText=people&searchText=yayoi&list=hide&searchUri=%2Faction%2FdoBasicSearch%3FQuery%3Dyayoi%2Bpeople%26acc%3Don%26wc%3Don&prevSearch=&item=2&ttl=682&returnArticleService=showFullText
NARO: http://www.naro.affrc.go.jp/org/karc/Eng/index.html
Pottery: http://www.welcomekyushu.com/theme/yakimono.html
Volcanoes: http://volcanoes.usgs.gov/ash/agric/index.html
Japan culture history: http://www.everyculture.com/Ja-Ma/Japan.html#b

Shimazu clan?
REGIONAL FOODS: http://www.jnto.go.jp/eng/attractions/dining/food/jfood_10.html
Kumamoto: http://wakuwaku-kumamoto.com/en/info/food.html
Miyazaki: http://www.m-tokusan.or.jp/product/english/farm.html





CONCERNS:

I’m not sure if I’ll be able to tie it all together as well as I’m imagining it now.

Am I allowed to make inferences through my own experiences? For example, discussing briefly a conversation of someone from Osaka expressing their views on Kumamoto. Also, would it be allowed to ask someone I know who is a farmer how he feels about his role as a farmer in Kyushu? 

I don’t know exactly how far/deep to go with the history - does it seem un