On this page, we introduce the translation of “Japan in the Edo Period - An Ecologically-Conscious Society”, ("O-edo ecology jijo," published in 2000, Kodansha Publishing Company) by Eisuke Ishikawa.

We received much feedback from our readers on articles “Japan’s Sustainable Society in the Edo Period (1603-1867)” in our March and April 2003 newsletters which drew upon Mr. Ishikawa’s research.

The requests for more information on the sustainable society in the Edo period were overwhelming, which prompted us to contact the author for his permission to translate the book for this website. The group of JFS volunteers including native speakers together worked on the translation originally done by Mr. Oki.

| Chapter 1-8 | Chapter 9-14 |

Chapter 14 - Recognizing Our Mistakes (PDF file : 19KB)

What can we do about our current ecologic situation? Unfortunately, the only fact of which we can be sure, is that there is no one definite solution to our environmental problems. Current trends cannot be changed abruptly because the modern society has grown too complex and widespread. (Read More... / PDF file : 19KB)

Chapter 13 - Nothing Comes out of Nothing (PDF file : 19KB)

In Japan, there is an old saying "Shobo-ni kidokunashi," which means "No miracle or supernatural phenomena exist as a so-called "divine grace" in a proper religion," originally meant to advise people to be cautious of a fake religion. This old proverb, however, can also be construed as "Something cannot come from nothing," one of the basic principles of the natural world. In essence, there are no miracles in the natural world, just like no magician can perform a magic without a trick. (Read More... / PDF file : 19KB)

Chapter 12 - From Outside to Inside (PDF file : 17KB)

Edo period Japan was a country that seldom used vehicles. Although there were a few wagons pulled by cows between Kyoto and Edo, large two-wheeled carts in Edo, and small carts used in parts of Osaka and Nagoya, these vehicles were used exclusively for moving heavy items such as bags of rice and lumberit appears that there was not much transport of vegetables. In this age where people normally shouldered loads on carrying-poles or loaded the backs of horses, a 10-15 kilometer distance was the limit for moving leafy-vegetables without compromising its commercial value. (Read More... / PDF file : 17KB)

Chapter 11 - The Value of Time-consuming Efforts (PDF file : 18KB)

The fish market of Edo was in Nihonbashi, before the Great Kanto Earthquake, which forced it move to a place called Tsukiji today, in the same Tokyo region. As fish spoils more quickly in the heat than the other fresh foods, shops selling dried sea goods were the only ones that were able to maintain business as usual during summer, while wholesalers of fresh seafood were outrageously busy. (Read More... / PDF file : 18KB)

Chapter 10 - Amazing Diversity in Local Specialization (PDF file : 19KB)

Edo Japan was full of diversity, far beyond any stereotypes we may have of the era today. People lived on solar energy and dined on local seasonal foods. Their diet was much more diverse compared to that of people living in the convenience of current day society. In essence, Japanese life in the Edo Period was built on diversity. (Read More... / PDF file : 19KB)

Part 5 : Re-use is better than recycle (PDF file : 20KB)

Since not recycling just creates more rubbish, but recycling can require tremendous energy expenditures, it makes much more sense to avoid recycling, and instead re-use stuff whenever possible, as people did in the past - for example, continuing to use an umbrella as an umbrella through repeated repair, and so forth. I know that re-using umbrellas sounds pretty stingy, but in the past people were forced to live frugally, and there are any number of similar examples. (Read More... / PDF file : 20KB)

Part 4 : Making things easy to repair (PDF file : 20KB)

Unlike some of the manufactured products you find these days which seem to have been made without a thought for repair when they break down, in the past things were made as easy as possible to repair on the premise that they can and will break down sometime. In an age when people depended just on recent solar energy, the bizarre logic of generating prosperity through throwing things away when they broke just didn?ft hold. It made clear economic sense to go on using the same things as long as possible. (Read More... / PDF file : 20KB)

Part 3 : Do We Need Economic Growth? (PDF file : 19KB)

One key way of curbing the generation of waste is to manufacture sturdy, durable products that last for years and years without breaking down, but doing so would result in a halt to economic growth. However, even if economic growth were to come to a stop, the only thing that would really suffer is nothing more than a very recent artifice in the history of humanity, this bizarre social structure created as a matter of policy since the period of rapid economic growth. (Read More... / PDF file : 19KB)

Part 2 : Anathema to Economic Growth (PDF file : 17KB)

Why have we stopped using yukatas in such a sensible way? Well, for one thing, our present-day lifestyle makes the wearing of clothing such as yukatas impractical, but far more than that, successive governments have sought to stimulate economic growth and bring prosperity to the nation by adopting policies that encourage people to throw things away.(Read More... / PDF file : 17KB)

Part 1 : The life of a yukata (PDF file : 19KB)

You hear the word "recycle" everywhere you go these days, mostly in connection with the collection and re-use of unwanted second-hand goods. Given the dearth of places to dispose of waste in present-day Japan, you could argue that recycling as much as possible makes sense, but that doesn't mean to say that it is the best solution.(Read More... / PDF file : 19KB)

About the Author:
Eisuke Ishikawa is a writer who specializes in the environmental and ecological issues in the Edo period (1603-1867). He is also a lecturer at Musashino Art University. His recent books introduce wisdom of sustainable living in the Edo period from the angles of technology, energy, resource management, and recycling systems of the period.