caa a22 4500 469025433 CHVBK 20180323132728.0 cr unu---uuuuu 170328e19920201xx s 000 0 eng 10.1007/BF00241206 doi (NATIONALLICENCE)springer-10.1007/BF00241206 Senda M. Department of Geography, Nara Women's University, Kita Uoyanishimachi, 630, Nara City, Japan aut Japan's traditional view of nature and interpretation of landscape [Elektronische Daten] [M. Senda] Recently a few Japanese geographers became aware that the concept of nature in modern geography differs from that of traditional Japanese thought. As modern geography in Japan was formed by the influence of European geography, most academic geographers in Japan have followed the occidental view that proposed an opposition between cultural and natural landscapes and that, due to the belief in man's power, sees the former as superior to the latter. From an economic view point, in fact, the European concept of nature which is opposed to culture has contributed to land exploitation that caused the destruction of Japan's natural landscape. The time has come to consider the traditional Japanese idea of nature as Kami (gods) in comparison with the binary opposition of nature/culture which derives from modern rationalism. Kami who represent elements of nature belonged to a Pantheon in ancient Japan. Some examples of the Kami's names and their English explanations are as follows: Amaterasuomikami (godess of sun), Oyamatsumi-no-kami (god of the mountain's spirit), Nozuchi-no-kami (god of the field's spirit). In ancient Japan people believed that natural landscapes were created and inhabited by these Kami, and that the will of these Kami controlled the cultural domain. However, people provided shrines for Kami to placate their reckless domination. In this context, culture is in the hands of nature. This idea of nature's superiority to culture can explain the Japanese geographical concept of landscape. Kluwer Academic Publishers, 1992 GeoJournal Kluwer Academic Publishers 26/2(1992-02-01), 129-134 0343-2521 26:2<129 1992 26 10708 https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00241206 text/html Onlinezugriff via DOI 1 research-article jats NATIONALLICENCE 856 40 https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00241206 text/html Onlinezugriff via DOI NATIONALLICENCE 100 1- Senda M. Department of Geography, Nara Women's University, Kita Uoyanishimachi, 630, Nara City, Japan aut NATIONALLICENCE 773 0- GeoJournal Kluwer Academic Publishers 26/2(1992-02-01), 129-134 0343-2521 26:2<129 1992 26 10708 Metadata rights reserved Springer special CC-BY-NC licence nationallicence BK010053 XK010053 XK010000 NATIONALLICENCE NATIONALLICENCE NL-springer