| Contents |
Introduction: Green Perspectives on the Japanese Past / Bruce L. Batten and Philip C. Brown -- Part I. Lay of the Land : Geology and Topography -- Vulnerable Japan : The Tectonic Setting of Life in the Archipelago / Gina L. Barnes -- Settlement Patterns and Environment of Heiji-kyo, an Ancient Capital City Site in Japan / Tatsunori Kawasumi -- Earthquakes as Social Drama in the Tokugawa Period / Gregory Smits -- Part II. Water : Oceans, Rivers, Lakes -- Traditional Use of Resources and Management of Littoral Environments at Lake Biwa / Shizuyo Sano -- Floods, Drainage, and River Projects in Early Modern Japan : Civil Engineering and the Foundations of Resilience / Philip C. Brown -- High-Growth Hydrosphere : Sakuma Dam and the Socionatural Dimensions of "Comprehensive Development" Planning in Post-1945 Japan / Eric G. Dinmore -- Part III. Life : Flora, Fauna, Fertilizer -- Japan as an Organic Empire : Commercial Fertilizers, Nitrogen Supply, and Japan's Core-Peripheral Relationship / Toshihiro Higuchi -- Struggling with Complex Natures in the Ogasawara Islands / Colin Tyner -- When the Green Archipelago Encountered Formosa : The Making of Modern Forestry in Taiwan under Japan's Colonial Rule (1895/1945) / Kuang-chi Hung -- Part IV. Climate -- Climatic Changes in Japan since the Eighteenth Century / Takehiko Mikami, Masumi Zaiki, and Junpei Hirano -- Climate, Famine, and Population in Japanese History : A Long-Term Perspective / Osamu Saito -- The Climatic Dilemmas of Built Environments : Tokyo, Heat Islands, and Urban Adaptation / Scott O'Bryan -- Concluding Thoughts: In the Shadow of 3.11 / Bruce L. Batten and Philip C. Brown. |
| Scope and content |
"Over the long course of Japan's history, its people profited from their rich natural environment while simultaneously facing significant environmental challenges. Over time, they have altered their natural environment in numerous ways, from landscape modification to industrial pollution. How has the human-nature relationship changed over time in Japan? How does Japan's environmental history compare with that of other countries, or that of the world as a whole? Environment and Society in the Japanese Islands attempts to answer these questions through a series of case studies by leading Japanese and Western historians, geographers, archaeologists, and climatologists. These essays, on diverse topics from all periods of Japanese history and prehistory, are unified by their focus on the key concepts of 'resilience' and 'risk mitigation.' Taken as a whole, they place Japan's experience in global context and call into question the commonly presumed division between pre-modern and modern environmental history. Primarily intended for scholars and students in fields related to Japan or environmental history, these accessibly-written essays will be valuable to anyone wishing to learn about the historical roots of today's environmental issues or the complex relationship between human society and the natural environment"-- Provided by publisher. |
| General note | Papers from a conference that took place at the Tokai University Pacific Center in Honolulu on March 28-29, 2011. |
| Bibliography note | Includes bibliographical references and index. |
| Access restriction | Available only to authorized users. |
| Technical details | Mode of access: World Wide Web |
| Genre/form | Electronic books. |
| LCCN | 2014044730 |
| ISBN | 9780870718014 (original paperback) |
