BETWEEN A FOREST

and
A HARD PLACE:
Power, subjectivity and resilience in a
Japanese state-managed forest
Eric John Cunningham
Ph.D. candidate, ABD
University of Hawaii at Manoa,
Department of Anthropology

*Special thanks to the UHM Center for Japanese Studies

for their financial support www.otakimura.blogspot.com
National forests in Japan

SOURCE: Japan Forestry Agency,

http://www.rinya.maff.go.jp/j/kokuyu_rinya/welcome/bunpu.html
 Subjects
 Human actors as self-referential subjects
 Human and non-human actors in the
environment whom are subjectively gazed upon
and subordinated
 Socio-natural environments and/or their
constituent parts; objects made subjects
 National Resource Environmental
(NRE) subject
 Linked to emergence of Japanese state
 Forests, water, etc defined as national resources
 Actors defined as national citizens
 Exploitative
 Utilitarian
 Bureaucratic
 Economically oriented
Otaki Village
王滝村

SOURCE: http://www.vill.otaki.nagano.jp/sky/sky_map.html
 SOURCE: Makino Hyorokuro, 付知川に
於ける材木伐出の沿革と絵解 上・下

Forest history
in Otaki

SOURCE: Morishita T. 1998. 思い出の木曽森林鉄道ー山の暮らしを支えた

６０年 Memories of the Kiso Forest Railroad. Matsumoto: Kyodoshuppansha
 Timber extraction
Income from timber extraction in the Kiso Valley
(1897-1935)
0% 13% 26% 39% 51% 64% 77% 90%
1897

1902

Percentage of total imperial 1907

income
Percentage of income from 1912
all imperial forests
1920

1925

1930

1935
SOURCE: adapted from Oura Y. 1992. 国有林野における森林レクリエーション事業の展開: 王滝
村営林署管内国有林を事例として (The expansion of recreation forest practices in national forests: An
example from national forests under the jurisdiction of the Otaki Forestry Office). Ina: Shinshu University,
Graduate School of Agriculture
 Forest conversion
Timber extraction in the Kiso Valley Felling and growth amounts
1948-1998 in national forests 1946-1996
(10,000 sq. meters)
800 2500
700
2000
600
500 1500
400
1000
300
200 500
100
Timber imports begin Timber imports begin
0 0
48

52

56

60

64

68

72

76

80

84

88

92

96

86

90

94
74

78

82
62

66

70
46

50

54

58
19

19

19

19

19

19

19

19

19

19

19

19

19

19

19
19

19

19
19

19

19
19

19

19

19
19
timber volume (sq.meters) Amount felled Amount of growth

Current Sructure of Otaki Forests

86.0%
9.8% National forest
Private forest
4.1% Common forest
42.4%
SOURCES: adapted from
Oura Y. 1992. 国有林野における森林レクリエーション事業の展開: 王滝村営林署管内国有林を
事例として (The expansion of recreation forest practices in national forests: An example from national
forests under the jurisdiction of the Otaki Forestry Office). Ina: Shinshu University, Graduate School of 41.5% 0.0%
Agriculture 14.4%

Kasahara A, Shioya H, Kada T. 2008. どうする国有林 (What to do, national forests). Tokyo: Liberta Coniferous forests Broadleaf
Central District Forest Management Office. 2008. kokumin-no-mori kokuyuurin 国民の森、国有林 (National Natural Artificial
forest, the people's forest) chubu-shinrin-kanri-kyoku, 中部森林管理局 (Central District Forest Management
Office)
SOURCE: Central District Forest Management Office. 2008. kokumin-no-mori kokuyuurin 国民の森、国有林 (National forest, the people's forest) chubu-
shinrin-kanri-kyoku, 中部森林管理局 (Central District Forest Management Office)
 Specialized forests

SOURCE: Central District Forest Management Office. 2008. kokumin-no-mori kokuyuurin 国民の森、国
有林 (National forest, the people's forest) chubu-shinrin-kanri-kyoku, 中部森林管理局 (Central District
Forest Management Office)

SOURCE: http://www.rinya.maff.go.jp/chubu/kiso/index3.html
 木一本、首一つ
“One tree, one neck”

Late feudal period Modern gate

forestry official
SOURCE: Makino Hyorokuro, 付知川に
於ける材木伐出の沿革と絵解 上・下
 Water resources
 Miura Dam (三浦ダム) 1945
 280 hectares

 Makio Dam (牧尾ダム) 1961

247 hectares
SOURCE:
 http://www02.kani.or.jp/~ido/makio.
html

Filled with one ton of water,

the ripples of “Lake Ontake”
wish for the glory of the nation
and become a badge of our sincere feelings
for the industry of the blessed nation,
the measure our hometown’s happiness
 Tourism development
 Ontake 2240 Ski Hill

 Ta-no-hara Nature Park (田の原天然公園)

 Mountaineering

 Pilgrimage
 Resilience Thinking

SOURCE: The Resilience Alliance, http://www.resalliance.org/570.php

RESILIENCE: the degree of disturbance a system can absorb before the variables and
processes that govern that system’s behavior are altered to the point that its basic
character changes and the system tips into a new stability domain (Holling &
Gunderson 2002).
 Potential benefits of
resilience thinking
 Uncertainty and unpredictability
call for varieties of knowledge
 Inclusive & consensual
 Integrative

SOURCE: Gerald Marten, http://www.gerrymarten.com/humanecology.html

SOURCE: CSIRO, http://www.csiro.au/news/ScienceSupportingDroughtPolicy.html

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