Jomon civilization (6) living together with nature 2014/12/30
It was one of the greatest epoch making events in the human history to start the production of grains.
Full scale production of wheat is presumed to have started in west Asia around 12,000 years ago, while full scale production of rice is presumed to have started either at east hillside of Mt. Himalayas or in the area of the upstream of River Yangtze also around 12,00 years ago.
Since the production of grains had started, human dietary began to stabilize gradually and the population increased dramatically.
While in Japan, natural blessings were so affluent that people presumably did not dare to change their food style from hunting and fishing to inefficient and unreliable grain agriculture. They chose to stay on their traditional life style, rather than taking high risk of newly coming agriculture.
However, owing to affluent natural blessings, they improved the quality of life and spiritual culture. And also they developed “mura” (towns)and “hara” (an intermediate area between nature and a man- made town).
By developing “mura” and “hara”, they found the way to live together with nature and also the sustainable circulating life style. They kept respecting great nature and believing in spirits of all livings.
People in the area of grain production cut trees and destroyed woods as they expanded agricultural fields. They gradually lost awesome and respect to nature and became confident to control nature.
Japanese theory whose core is living together with nature, probably originated from Jomon civilization and has been prominently unique among whole world theories. In other words, it has been the opposite way of thinking how to develop civilization.
Meantime all of ancient towns and kingdoms in such area as Mesopotamia, Indus River, Egypt, Yellow River and Yangtze River were formed and born around 5,000 years after the start of grain production, while in Japan ancient kingdom was born only around 1500 years after the start of full scale agriculture. It may indicate they had almost developed enough matured society in Jomon period to form a kingdom sooner or latert.
