Imperial edict of the Emperor of Japan, A.D. 675:

June 2, 2002

Lafcadio Hearn: Japan, An Attempt At Interpretation.

See also Yoji Hasegawa and Inagaki`s Daughter of the Samurai for attitudes

on flesh-eating.

See also The Raven for August this year, when it comes out, where a suicide

is related, the purpose of which is to stop a grandson going into the cattle

business (Inagaki)

-

Dave Shishkoff <dave

arthur_cravan <anthonykarl

Tuesday, June 11, 2002 5:20 AM

Re: Imperial edict of the Emperor of Japan, A.D.

675:

> Do you have a source for this?

>

> - Dave

>

> -

> " arthur_cravan " <anthonykarl

>

> Monday, June 10, 2002 7:37 PM

> Imperial edict of the Emperor of Japan, A.D. 675:

>

> > " That the people are forbidden to kill and eat: kine, barnyard fowl,

> > horses, dogs, cats and all four-legged beings; that traps are

> > forbidden: nooses, snares in the catching of animals of any kind. "

> >

> > This law remained in force until 1868.

> >

> > Post message:

> > Subscribe: -

> > Un: -

> > List owner: -owner

> >

> > Shortcut URL to this page:

> > /community/

> >

June 2, 2002

Sea-life isn`t mentioned, though I doubt very much whale was hunted. The means

did not exist anywhere near the extent of today`s commercial whaling and feudal

Japan was very limited in this regard, scarcely possessing a navy until Will

Adams came along, and then for military purposes (as you know, the taking of

human life never posed a moral problem for the Shoguns!)... Basho ate fish, but

the Buddhist clergy did not. Japanese did not drink milk, which they termed akin

to blood, and the tofu they ate so much of was mistakenly thought to be cheese

by the Dutch!

Fowl was eaten by samurai on campaign, but snaring was forbidden, and all " game "

had to be shot with bow and arrow, giving " fair chance " to the bird. Seaside

communities depended on fish. There were no butchers, and those who did kill and

skin small " game " were ostracised and made to live apart. After 1868 (which

impoverished over 2 million samurai, driving them onto the streets as beggars!)

beef-farming was introduced with a vengeance and samurai were forced to become

butchers in order to make a living: which resulted in many suicides. Hokkaido

was cleared for cattle.

Foxes were sacred, more than any other creature (the subject of my short story,

" Manyemon " , is the Inari Fox cult) and to kill one, even accidentally (?) meant

a grisly death awaited the perpetrator.

I am aware that these strictures never stretched to mainland Asia and the

Chinese always had one of the worst records for animal cruelty. In the Ming

classic " The Water Margin " , the protagonists gorge themselves page after page on

beef, in grotesque fashion, and this raises the question of this being

deliberate satire.

-

Dave Shishkoff

Anthony Walker ;

Tuesday, June 11, 2002 5:18 PM

Re: Imperial edict of the Emperor of Japan, A.D. 675:

> Lafcadio Hearn: Japan, An Attempt At Interpretation.

> See also Yoji Hasegawa and Inagaki`s Daughter of the Samurai for attitudes

> on flesh-eating.

Thanks Anthony, tho it sounds like land-only flesh, is sea life mentioned at

all?

- Dave

Post message:

Subscribe: -

Un: -

List owner: -owner

Shortcut URL to this page:

/community/

June 4, 2002

-

xxx_suicidal_vegan_xxx

Wednesday, June 12, 2002 11:52 PM

Re: Imperial edict of the Emperor of Japan, A.D. 675:

What happened in 1868 to make them

change the law?

It was in fact a capitalist revolution. The western samurai clans of Choshu

and Satsuma feared that Japan would share China`s fate unless Japan modernised.

They rose up and overthrew the Shogunate in a bloody war (not the cosy

phenomenon depicted by travel books!)but then saw they had cut the ground from

beneath their own feet. Japan`s capitalist class became master following this

and the samurai were expropriated. The new order " restored " the Emperor as

figurehead and Japan frantically embraced all western habits and technology,

including meat-eating (the profits to be had from it ~ the sale of meat). In

1876 the samurai rebelled against THIS NEW order, under Prince Saigo, who had

originally supported Meiji, and were blown to pieces. From then on, they all

slowly perished and the nouveau-riche moved in. Military and commercial

expansion followed and your 20th century history tells you the rest.

Ex-samurai were noted for stirring up socialist and trade-union activity after

that in the factories of Japan`s new masters. The government brought in the

" Thought Police " and repression intensified until fascism proper set in, in the

1930s. Ex-samurai in the forces were notorious for their contempt of patriotism,

calling Hirohito sneeringly " Emp " . Others became responsible for launching a

glorious renaissance, in the 1950s, of literature, turning to writing. The

confused patriot, Mishima, was from a samurai family.

Ah so. My Junior Wallchart of History says that in 1868 the Shogunate

dynasty comes to an end when young Prince Mejii, AGED FIFTEEN,

becomes

Emperor, and Japan begins to modernize.

Guess he sent out for a burger and fries.

Too bad.

Chris X

> " Anthony Walker "

> " Dave Shishkoff "

>CC:

>Re: Imperial edict of the Emperor of Japan,

A.D. 675:

>Sun, 2 Jun 2002 19:22:14 +0100

>

>Sea-life isn`t mentioned, though I doubt very much whale was hunted.

The means did not exist anywhere near the extent of today`s

commercial whaling and feudal Japan was very limited in this regard,

scarcely possessing a navy until Will Adams came along, and then for

military purposes (as you know, the taking of human life never posed

a moral problem for the Shoguns!)... Basho ate fish, but the Buddhist

clergy did not. Japanese did not drink milk, which they termed akin

to blood, and the tofu they ate so much of was mistakenly thought to

be cheese by the Dutch!

>Fowl was eaten by samurai on campaign, but snaring was forbidden,

and all " game " had to be shot with bow and arrow, giving " fair

chance " to the bird. Seaside communities depended on fish. There were

no butchers, and those who did kill and skin small " game " were

ostracised and made to live apart. After 1868 (which impoverished

over 2 million samurai, driving them onto the streets as beggars!)

beef-farming was introduced with a vengeance and samurai were forced

to become butchers in order to make a living: which resulted in many

suicides. Hokkaido was cleared for cattle.

>Foxes were sacred, more than any other creature (the subject of my

short story, " Manyemon " , is the Inari Fox cult) and to kill one, even

accidentally (?) meant a grisly death awaited the perpetrator.

>I am aware that these strictures never stretched to mainland Asia

and the Chinese always had one of the worst records for animal

cruelty. In the Ming classic " The Water Margin " , the protagonists

gorge themselves page after page on beef, in grotesque fashion, and

this raises the question of this being deliberate satire.