Kunio Yanagita ( Japanese : 柳田 國男 , Hepburn : Yanagita Kunio , July 31, 1875 – August 8, 1962) was a Japanese author, scholar, and folklorist . He began his career as a bureaucrat, but developed an interest in rural Japan and its folk traditions. This led to a change in his career. His pursuit of this led to his eventual establishment of Japanese native folkloristics , or minzokugaku , as an academic field in Japan. As a result, he is often considered to be the father of modern Japanese folklore studies.
32-583: Yanagita was born as the fifth child of the Matsuoka family in the town of Fukusaki , located in Hyōgo Prefecture . He was born with the name Kunio Matsuoka (or Matsuoka Kunio in the Japanese manner of naming), but was adopted into the family of a court justice named Naohei Yanagita. At the time, it was fairly common practice for families without a son to adopt a young boy or man into the family to inherit
64-484: A prefecture of Japan located in the Kansai region of Honshu . Hyōgo Prefecture has a population of 5,469,762 (as of 1 June 2019 ) and a geographic area of 8,400 square kilometres (3,200 square miles). Hyōgo Prefecture borders Kyoto Prefecture to the east, Osaka Prefecture to the southeast, and Okayama and Tottori prefectures to the west. Kobe is the capital and largest city of Hyōgo Prefecture, and
96-581: A unicameral town council of 14 members. Fukusaki, together with the other municipalities of Kanzaki District, contributes one member to the Hyogo Prefectural Assembly . In terms of national politics, the town is part of Hyōgo 12th district of the lower house of the Diet of Japan . Fukusaki has an economy centered on light manufacturing of electrical component, food processing, pharmaceuticals and metals processing, with agriculture playing
128-411: A deep understanding through similar experiences, is considered the main focus of folklore studies. As a whole, Yanagita's work is highly memorable and genre-defining. He is one of the premiere folklorists of Japan, and he helped to create the field of minzokugaku itself, earning him the title of "father of modern Japanese folklore." Fukusaki, Hy%C5%8Dgo Fukusaki ( 福崎町 , Fukusaki-chō )
160-559: A shift in agricultural focus to center around cooperatives of small farmers rather than wealthy landlords. It is believed that the pushback he received against his values and ideas may have contributed to his change in careers and shift toward folklore studies. Yanagita's departure from the Ministry of Agriculture and Commerce allowed him the opportunity to further investigate rural Japan. He began in-depth analysis, traveling around to record stories of local customs, practices, and beliefs. It
192-530: A smaller role. Fukusaki has four public elementary schools and two public middle schools operated by the town government and one public high school operated by the Hyōgo Prefectural Department of Education. The Kinki Health Welfare University is also located in the town. [REDACTED] JR West – Bantan Line Kunio Yanagita (1875–1962) Was born in Fukusaki, and due to his importance in
224-565: A western-style building built in 1886. It was renovated in 1972 to a museum for keeping and promoting the development of culture. The Miki House belonged to the great chief of Fukusaki. It is said that Kunio Yanagita read thousands of books from this family when he was a child. Suzunomori shrine is in the Tsujikawa region, near Kunio Yanagita's house. There are two Major festivals: the Autumn Festival and Summer Festival. During
256-474: Is a town in Kanzaki District , Hyōgo Prefecture , Japan . As of 30 April 2022 , the town had an estimated population of 18,742 in 7803 households and a population density of 410 persons per km . The total area of the town is 45.79 square kilometres (17.68 sq mi). Fukusaki is located in the center of Hyōgo Prefecture, and occupies the middle part of Ichikawa River Basin. It
288-647: Is in Harima. There are 163 public and 52 private high schools within Hyogo prefecture. Of the public high schools, some are administered by the Hyogo prefectural government, whilst the others are administered by local municipalities. The sports teams listed below are based in Hyōgo. Baseball Basketball Football (soccer) Rugby Volleyball A popular troupe of Takarazuka Revue plays in Takarazuka . Arima Onsen in
320-485: Is located in Fukusaki. He wrote about his house in one of his books, Kokyou Nanajunen (70 years in hometown): "It was the smallest house in [his] hometown." The book also describes Gataro (ガタロ), a kappa . The municipal government of Fukusaki installed a mechanical kappa statue that pops out of a pond in Tsujikawayama Park to attract tourists. In 2015, the government went on to design a kappa costume for
352-507: Is no significant snowfall. The average annual temperature in Fukusaki is 15.1 °C (59.2 °F). The average annual rainfall is 1,445.0 mm (56.89 in) with July as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around 27.4 °C (81.3 °F), and lowest in January, at around 3.6 °C (38.5 °F). The highest temperature ever recorded in Fukusaki
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#1732802455200384-451: Is surrounded by low mountains and hills. Nagusayama (683 meters) in the northwestern end has seven waterfalls and many reservoirs are located in the eastern part of the town. Hyōgo Prefecture Fukusaki has a humid subtropical climate ( Köppen climate classification Cfa ) with hot summers and cool to cold winters. Precipitation is significantly higher in summer than in winter, though on the whole lower than most parts of Honshū, and there
416-530: The Tokugawa shogunate . Following the Meiji restoration , the villages of Fukusaki was created within Kanzaki District, Hyōgo . On December 1, 1925, Fukuzawa merged with the neighboring village of Tomioka and was elevated to town status. Fukusaki expanded on May 3, 1956, by annexing the neighboring villages of Tahara and Yachikusa. Fukusaki has a mayor-council form of government with a directly elected mayor and
448-664: The neighboring Osaka Prefecture , killing nearly 6,500 people. Hyōgo has coastlines on two seas: to the north, the Sea of Japan , to the south, the Seto Inland Sea . On Awaji Island , Hyōgo borders the Pacific Ocean coastline in the Kii Channel . The northern portion is sparsely populated, except for the city of Toyooka , The central highlands are only populated by tiny villages. Most of Hyōgo's population lives on
480-475: The seventh-largest city in Japan, with other major cities including Himeji , Nishinomiya , and Amagasaki . Hyōgo Prefecture's mainland stretches from the Sea of Japan to the Seto Inland Sea , where Awaji Island and a small archipelago of islands belonging to the prefecture are located. Hyōgo Prefecture is a major economic center, transportation hub , and tourist destination in western Japan, with 20% of
512-400: The Autumn Festival, young men carry a portable shrine and pray for a good harvest. These young men often wear ' happi '. The Summer Festival is held on the 9th of August at the playground of Fukusaki Junior High School. There are fireworks displayed, bon dancing and drum performances. As well as food/game stalls. Hy%C5%8Dgo Prefecture Hyōgo Prefecture ( 兵庫県 , Hyōgo-ken ) is
544-546: The anthropological study of folklore that he is still known for today. He published many other works, including several with folklorist Kizen Sasaki , with whom he collaborated extensively. Yanagita's focus on local traditions was part of a larger effort to insert the lives of commoners into narratives of Japanese history . He argued that historical narratives were typically dominated by events pertaining to rulers and high-ranking officials. Yanagita claimed that these narratives focused on elite-centered historical events and ignored
576-478: The character Gajiro (ガジロウ), who is said to be the younger brother of Gataro. Gajiro has since been adopted as the mascot of Fukusaki. Yanagita had four brothers. One of the younger brother's name is Teruo ( Eikyū ), a famous Japanese traditional painter. Some of his paintings are shown in the museum. The anniversary day of Yanagita's death is held at the Santou-Ki Haiku Festival. The museum is
608-501: The course of his time in bureaucracy, duties, Yanagita traveled around the countrysides of Honshū , the mainland of Japan. During these business trips, Yanagita became increasingly focused on the affairs of rural villages and their agricultural economic policy. As time passed, Yanagita began growing increasingly critical of the lack of concern for local autonomy allowed by the policies favored by his fellow civil servants. He gradually began to advocate in support of these groups, pushing for
640-575: The end of the Heian period , Emperor Antoku , Taira no Kiyomori , and the Imperial court moved briefly to Fukuhara, in what is now the city of Kobe. There the capital remained for five months. Himeji Castle , a UNESCO World Heritage Site , is in the city of Himeji. Southern Hyōgo Prefecture was severely devastated by the 6.9 Mw Great Hanshin earthquake of 1995, which destroyed major parts of Kobe and Awaji , as well as Nishinomiya and Ashiya and
672-472: The family's property. This would often occur through marriage, with the adopting family marrying a daughter of the family off to their chosen heir as a way of binding him to the family. In this particular case, a match was made between the future folklorist and Naohei's daughter, Taka. The two were wed in 1901, and his name was changed to Kunio Yanagita. Yanagita was known from a fairly young age for his interest in literature, particularly that of poetry. He also
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#1732802455200704-555: The largest ports in Japan. Kobe Port also hosts one of the world's fastest supercomputers, and Hyogo Prefecture passed laws to keep Kobe Port free of nuclear weapons (a nuclear-free zone ) since the year 1975. Hyōgo is a part of the Hanshin Industrial Region . There are two research institutes of Riken , natural sciences research institute in Japan, in Kobe and Harima. " SPring-8 ", a synchrotron radiation facility,
736-510: The only town in Akō District ( Kamigōri ), were scheduled to merge and the city would still retain the name Akō . Akō District would be defunct if the merger was successful. However, the merger has not taken place. As in all prefectures nationwide, agriculture, forestry, and fisheries play a big role in the economy of Hyogo Prefecture. Hyōgo Prefecture also has an IT industry, many heavy industries, metal and medical, Kobe Port being one of
768-543: The prefecture's land area designated as Natural Parks . Hyōgo Prefecture forms part of the Kobe metropolitan area and Osaka metropolitan area , the second-most-populated urban region in Japan after the Greater Tokyo area and one of the world's most productive regions by GDP . Present-day Hyōgo Prefecture includes the former provinces of Harima , Tajima , Awaji , and parts of Tanba and Settsu . In 1180, near
800-457: The relative uneventfulness and repetition that characterized the lives of ordinary Japanese people across history. He emphasized the unique practices of different groups of common people, such as sanka or mountain dwellers, and island dwellers. He also focused primarily on what he saw as the three areas of folklore studies: material objects, oral transmission, and mental or emotional phenomenon. This third category, accessible only to those who share
832-606: The south of the province in Kita-ku, Kobe is one of the Three Ancient Springs in Japan. The north of Hyogo Prefecture has sightseeing spots such as Kinosaki Onsen, Izushi , and Yumura Onsen . Takeda Castle in Asago is often referred to locally as the "Machu Picchu of Japan". The matsuba crab and Tajima beef are both national delicacies. Hyogo entered a sister state relationship with Washington state in
864-639: The southern coast, which is part of the Osaka-Kobe-Kyoto metropolitan area. Awaji is an island that separates the Inland Sea and Osaka Bay , lying between Honshu and Shikoku . Summertime weather throughout Hyōgo is hot and humid. As for winter conditions, the north of Hyōgo tends to receive abundant snow, whilst the south receives only the occasional flurry. Hyōgo borders on Osaka Prefecture , Kyoto Prefecture , Tottori Prefecture and Okayama Prefecture . As of 31 March 2008, 20% of
896-461: The study of Japanese folklore, the town has a number of yokai sculptures. In Tsujikawayama Park there are currently five statues whose designs were chosen through "The National Yokai Modeling contest". A total of 17 "Yokai benches" also exist within the town. As a way to create tourism, these benches were created and placed near local businesses and other points of interest. The house of folklorist Kunio Yanagita and memorial hall to his brothers
928-576: The total land area of the prefecture was designated as Natural Parks , namely the Sanin Kaigan and Setonaikai National Parks; Hyōnosen-Ushiroyama-Nagisan Quasi-National Park ; and Asago Gunzan , Harima Chūbu Kyūryō , Inagawa Keikoku , Izushi-Itoi , Kasagatayama-Sengamine , Kiyomizu-Tōjōko-Tachikui , Onzui-Chikusa , Seiban Kyūryō , Seppiko-Mineyama , Tajima Sangaku , and Taki Renzan Prefectural Natural Parks. Two major artificial islands are located Hyōgo Prefecture: The city of Akō and
960-562: Was 38.9 °C (102.0 °F) on 20 August 2023; the coldest temperature ever recorded was −7.8 °C (18.0 °F) on 3 February 1996. Per Japanese census data, the population of Fukusaki in 2020 is 19,377 people. Fukusaki has been conducting censuses since 1920. The area of the modern town of Fukusaki was within ancient Harima Province . In the Edo Period , it was mostly under the controls of Himeji Domain with small portions as tenryō territory under direct administration of
992-573: Was a fan of Western literature. As he began to take an interest in folklore, Yanagita began reading ethnologies by Western anthropologists, such as Edward Burnett Tylor , shaping his later work. After graduating with a degree in law from Tokyo Imperial University , Yanagita began a career as a civil servant, working for the Department of Agricultural Administration of the Ministry of Agriculture and Commerce , that would last for about 20 years. Over
Kunio Yanagita - Misplaced Pages Continue
1024-497: Was at this point that his literary friends, including writer Shimazaki Toson , began encouraging him to publish works based on oral traditions and customs of rural villages. His most famous example of this is a book known as The Legends of Tōno (1912). It is a compilation of short stories, practices, beliefs, and anecdotes from Tōno , a small, rural community surrounded by mountains in Iwate . From here, Yanagita's work developed into
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