283
H.-J. Ceccaldi et al. (eds.), Marine Productivity: Perturbations and Resilience of Socio-ecosystems,
DOI 10.1007/978-3-319-13878-7_30, © Springer International Publishing Switzerland 2015
Abstract
The early modern period in Japan is called the Edo Period. During this
time, the Tokugawa shogunate maintained a policy of isolation that
required Japan to remain self- suffi cient from 1620 to 1850. From the
beginning of the eighteenth century to the mid-nineteenth century, the
Japanese population remained stable, with approximately 30 million people depending on the sustainable use of agriculture and fi sheries. The manner in which the Japanese people utilised natural resources during this
period, especially in coastal areas, may inform the sustainable use of
coastal waters today. This article reviews the life of coastal villages in the
Edo Period under Sato-umi, which is the human use and management of
coastal seas for high productivity while maintaining high biodiversity.
Traditional practices from the Edo Period, such as fi sh fences constructed
of stones and harvesting of seagrass, could increase habitat diversity and
fi sh production. Uo-tsuki-rin is a practice dating from the Edo Period or
earlier, in which local people managed common or feudal lords’ coastal
forests. After the Edo Period, privatisation of forests and timber harvesting
led to the deterioration of coastal ecosystems. Lessons from the Sato-umi
concept of the Edo Period combined with Uo-tsuki-rin could contribute to
modern integrated coastal management.
T. Komatsu (*)
Atmosphere and Ocean Research Institute (AORI) ,
University of Tokyo, President of S.F.J.O. (*) of
Japan , 5-1-5, Kashiwanoha , 277-8564
Kashiwa-shi , Japan
e-mail: komatsu@aori.u-tokyo.ac.jp
T. Yanagi
Research Division , International EMECS Center ,
1-5-2 Wakihama Kaigandori , Chuoku,
Kobe 651-0073 , Japan
Sato-umi: An Integrated Approach
for Sustainable Use of Coastal
Waters, Lessons from HumanNature Interactions During
the Edo Period of EighteenthCentury Japan
Teruhisa Komatsu and Tetsuo Yanagi
1
Introduction
During the early modern period in Japan, known
as the Edo Period, Japan isolated itself from the
outside world in a policy known as “Sakoku”,
which means to break off relations with other
countries. This policy of isolation by the
Tokugawa shogunate resulted in Japanese
H.-J. Ceccaldi et al. (eds.), Marine Productivity: Perturbations and Resilience of Socio-ecosystems,
DOI 10.1007/978-3-319-13878-7_30, © Springer International Publishing Switzerland 2015
Abstract
The early modern period in Japan is called the Edo Period. During this
time, the Tokugawa shogunate maintained a policy of isolation that
required Japan to remain self- suffi cient from 1620 to 1850. From the
beginning of the eighteenth century to the mid-nineteenth century, the
Japanese population remained stable, with approximately 30 million people depending on the sustainable use of agriculture and fi sheries. The manner in which the Japanese people utilised natural resources during this
period, especially in coastal areas, may inform the sustainable use of
coastal waters today. This article reviews the life of coastal villages in the
Edo Period under Sato-umi, which is the human use and management of
coastal seas for high productivity while maintaining high biodiversity.
Traditional practices from the Edo Period, such as fi sh fences constructed
of stones and harvesting of seagrass, could increase habitat diversity and
fi sh production. Uo-tsuki-rin is a practice dating from the Edo Period or
earlier, in which local people managed common or feudal lords’ coastal
forests. After the Edo Period, privatisation of forests and timber harvesting
led to the deterioration of coastal ecosystems. Lessons from the Sato-umi
concept of the Edo Period combined with Uo-tsuki-rin could contribute to
modern integrated coastal management.
T. Komatsu (*)
Atmosphere and Ocean Research Institute (AORI) ,
University of Tokyo, President of S.F.J.O. (*) of
Japan , 5-1-5, Kashiwanoha , 277-8564
Kashiwa-shi , Japan
e-mail: komatsu@aori.u-tokyo.ac.jp
T. Yanagi
Research Division , International EMECS Center ,
1-5-2 Wakihama Kaigandori , Chuoku,
Kobe 651-0073 , Japan
Sato-umi: An Integrated Approach
for Sustainable Use of Coastal
Waters, Lessons from HumanNature Interactions During
the Edo Period of EighteenthCentury Japan
Teruhisa Komatsu and Tetsuo Yanagi
1
Introduction
During the early modern period in Japan, known
as the Edo Period, Japan isolated itself from the
outside world in a policy known as “Sakoku”,
which means to break off relations with other
countries. This policy of isolation by the
Tokugawa shogunate resulted in Japanese