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Kariudo (hunter and gatherer of the forest)
Only one who knows his collection water insects can make a good fly fisherman. 99.11.17/ Temperature: 0C/ Weather: Snow/ Wind Direction: W
Current location: Oisawa, Nishikawa Machi Latitude: N 38 24 14 N Longitude: 139 59 35 E
Distance Traveled: 0 km (Rest day)Mr. SHIDA Tadanori is a man who really brings a face to nature. His long life spent in the mountains of Oisawa has created knowledge of and special relationship with the natural world that will out-match your best scholar or naturalist. He is a kariudo (traditional Japanese hunter and gatherer). I spent the day with him in his hometown of Oisawa.
Six to eight centimeters of snow had already fallen by the time Mr. Shida arrived at the Mt. Asahi House , his small bed and breakfast now run by his son, Mr. SHIDA Tadaaki (see Wisdom report #065). He smiled gently, eyes glittering, as he watched the fresh, wet snow piling up on the mountain across the valley. His build is surprisingly slim, yet a very sturdy 83 years old. "The snowfall brings with it the hunting season," he said as if he were waiting anxiously. From the time he was a young boy, Mr. Shida roamed the mountains hunting and gathering with his father. He continued to do so until he was 77.
Setting off a small animal trap, Mr. Shida explains how he caught various animals at the Oisawa Natural Mus Life in the mountains of Yamagata was not an easy one. Snowfall in the winters left the mountain village isolated from surrounding communities. Mountain resources were very important sources of nutrition as well as economic stability. So much of Mr. Shida's time was spent in the mountains, I think it's important to explain a little bit about the life he led year-round.
In the spring (mid April) Mr. Shida hunted bears just awaking from hibernation. In May he collected flowering fern, come June, wild edible mountain plants and fishing the streams for char. Summer was the most relaxing time spent mostly up in the mountains. For several years Mr. Shida was employed as the Asahi Renpo National Park, Park Manager, a position normally reserved for scholars with degrees. His knowledge of the natural world was so highly recognized that the fact he lacked any scholarly background was ignored. In the fall he collected wild mushrooms. Finally, winter would bring back the season for hunting and he would catch hare (particularly important as source of protein), weasels, martens, badgers, and Japanese minks.
Mr. Shida answers the questions of his local elementary school. His experiences are being passed on. To share a little bit of the natural world that has been his home, Mr. Shida gave me a tour of the Oisawa Natural Museum, which was started as a collection of wildlife specimen to share with local elementary school students. Of the 120 different species to be found in the museum, Mr. Shida is responsible for catching 80% of all the specimens. With each catch, with each species is a story, which bring the natural world of Oisawa to life.
Gesturing with his hands, Mr. Shida said, "For badgers step low so you have to set your trap there otherwise they won't go for it." Pawing his hand up high he continued, "For weasels you have to set your trap high." Next he told me about the Hondo Fox and how it is sensitive to the smell of metals, so it won't go near the traps. "The yamaneiGirulus Japonicusj, which is now natural monument, goes into hibernation when its body freezes. If it is up in a tree when it freezes it will fall into the snow and hibernate there. Come fall it will wake up and return to life as normal. If you catch one and put it in your pocket, you can feel it wiggle around as it wakes up." I tried to imagine how much time, concentration, curiosity and understanding of nature it must have taken Mr. Shida to catch all 120 specimens and to be able to tell their stories.
Ten centimeters of snow piled up this morning outside the Mt. Asahi House bed and breakfast. I was very happy to find that these stories do not stop with Mr. Shida. Since 1951, he has been sharing his experiences with the children of Oisawa. Mr. Shida met with the students of Oisawa Elementary School this afternoon. The class has gone stream-climbing along four different streams which empty into the Sagae River and had several questions for Shida Sensei. They wanted to know the origins of stream names, as well as the streams' water source. Other questions were: Why are there dams along the streams? What are the most common insects in the different streams? Why are there different bugs in different streams?
To each question, Mr. Shida responded as if he was talking about his own backyard. Without even looking at a map he told the students where each of the streams began, about the constitution of their soil, when trees had been logged, when dams were built, what effects the dams had on the water quality, how this effected the insects and fish in the streams, etc. etc. The students all looked on, their faces showing expressions of satisfaction with his answers. I looked on in admiration of Mr. Shida passing on his experiences of nature to the kids of Oisawa.
Greg
PS. Stay tuned to find out about how Mr. Shida came to protect the forests that he roamed and several of his clever tricks to living with nature.
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