Listening
andDocu m en t i ng
“Kikigaki”:
A Tool for Sharing Wisdom for
Sustainable Societies

First Edition, May 2012
Secretariat of the International Partnership for the Satoyama Initiative (IPSI)

1

Contents

1

Start by Listening─ Realising a society in harmony with nature
through Kikigaki ─
612 Principles of Kikigaki

18

Kikigaki : Take Up the Challenge!

30

Examples of the Kikigaki Educational Method
─ Focusing on Japan’s “Kikigaki Koshien”
Programme ─

39

Kikigaki Works
Afterword

2

Start by Listening
Realising a society in harmony withnature through Kikigaki

The earth hosts a diversity of life, each kind adapted to andliving in different environments. Human beings as well havecultivated lifestyles appropriate for their different naturalenvironments, seeking to live in harmony with nature.
The traditional Japanese house for example was made fromwood and clay. Almost all its furnishings as well as tools ofdaily life were made from wood. Clothing was made from thefibre of plants or harvested from silkworm cocoons. Firewood
and charcoal were indispensable sources of fuel for cooking
and keeping warm. Grasses and fallen leaves formed mulch
and fertiliser that enriched the cultivated fields.
Human-influenced natural environments, such as farmland
and secondary forests that people have developed andmaintained, function as the habitat and nurturing environmentof distinctive species of wildlife. These environments also
supply natural resources such as food and timber. Even
today, these natural environments are important for theirbeautiful landscapes and in the passing on of local culture.
Such natural environments—and the sustainable practices,knowledge, and biodiversity they nurtured—are increasingly
threatened in many parts of the world due to urbanisation,industrialisation, rapid rural population increases anddecreases, aging, and other factors.
1Collecting, analysing, and widely disseminating recordsof actions taken to conserve and sustain human-influenced
natural environments is needed. Local and traditional
techniques that have been used to manage the utilisation of
resources deserve renewed study and appreciation.
Kikigaki (It literally means:listening and recording) can
help us attain a better understanding of the values of theseimportant traditions and environments.

Connecting People
Kikigaki is a project that inquires into and records throughone-on-one dialogue the stories of interviewees’ lives andvalues. The interviewees’ words are faithfully recorded andtranscribed. These narratives are then transcribed andsummarised in reports that preserve the flavour of theinterviewees’ way of speaking.
The completed projects use the first-person style of oral
narrative. The person’s character is conveyed along with thestories of his/her experience, wisdom, way of thinking, andthe values s/he has cultivated.
Listening is fundamental to communication. In the processof asking the interviewee questions, the interviewer deepens
his or her understanding of the interviewee. The interviewer
should not assert personal ideas or beliefs, but instead
listen respectfully. Through the back-and-forth process ofquestioning, listening, and further questioning, the interviewer
can skilfully draw out the thoughts of the interviewee.
Empathy with the feelings of the interviewer is important, so
be sure to demonstrate your grasp and appreciation of what
is being said.
By listening to the stories of people who live in local areas
and engaging in the collaborative work of hearing theirthoughts and recording the conversations, one can secure
the trust and respect of the interviewee. This work, moreover,2

can lead to a re-appreciation of the value of the naturalenvironment, history and culture of the locale in question.

Connecting Generations
The culture of our daily lives is formed from close interaction
with the local landscape and its natural features. In thecourse of transmitting culture from person to person andgeneration to generation, the wisdom, innovations and valuesof each person and era are added and perpetuated.
Even within the forestry industry itself, experts plantdifferent trees and practice different methods based on thenatural conditions and history of each region, as well asderiving from their own skills and ideas about how things
should be done.
By grasping each individual story and idea that has been
passed down, we can understand the characteristics, naturalfeatures, history, and culture of daily life of that region. The
Kikigaki Project records both the tangible and intangible
cultural heritage that arises in connection with nature,
history, the wisdom of daily life, and ways of living.
It is important to listen carefully to what those of the older
generations have to say. Their experiences, gained over thelong years of their lives, provide many lessons that we can apply
to our own future.
We believe that interviews by young people with membersof the older generations about the accumulated wisdom
and the arts of daily life they have passed down will leadto reappraisal of how we use and manage traditional andsecondary forests and to discovery of new ways to preserveand utilise them.

Connecting Humans and Nature
The Satoyama Initiative is a comprehensive effort at3

thoughtful action towards the conservation and use ofhuman-influenced natural environments, such as farmland
and secondary forests that have been maintained over along time. The Initiative’s three-fold approach is intended tomaintain and rebuild landscapes in which land and natural
resources are used and managed in a more sustainable
manner.
• Consolidating wisdom on securing diverse ecosystemservices and values• Integrating traditional ecological knowledge and modern
science to promote innovations• Exploring new forms of co-management systems
evoking the framework of “commons” while respecting
traditional communal land tenure
Understanding the diverse ecosystem services and values
that give rise to human well-being is an indispensable
aspect of this approach, as is consolidation of the wisdom
for securing these services. Compilation of a wide range of
traditional knowledge, techniques, and details of daily life
through the Kikigaki method is also vital to the process.
How did our ancestors sustainably manage and use theseland-and-sea scapes? How did people combine their energies
as a community in creating rules regarding the uses ofnature? How did human interventions work to protect andnurture biodiversity? The only way to answer such questions
is to ask those who have actually engaged in those activities.
We recommend use of the Kikigaki method to learn about
the connections between people, between generations, andbetween humans and nature.

u m n
C o l
g people in Kikigaki
n
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me
Quotesparticipa
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a
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Ko
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ik ig a k im── F r o

J a p a n ’s

“K

While listening to his story, I felt the forest’s cry rippling(2nd year high school student, male)across my skin.
The old man’s face was very gentle as he said, “You know, we(1st year high school student, male)suffered many hardships”.
When we were told, “Don’t try to simplify life into justone phrase,” that made me realise the importance of(3rd year high school student, female)conscientious Kikigaki.
I realised how special it is to see things with your own eyes,
hear things with your own ears, and touch things with your
(1st year high school student, female)own hands.
I had never seen a 74-year-old man so full of energy andenthusiasm, and with an expression so full of life. I wasenchanted to see someone so dedicated and absorbed in a
(2nd year high school student, female)single pursuit.
I never thought one person would have so many stories to tell.
Perhaps it is perfectly natural, but to me it was something(1st year high school student, female)special.
I realised that forests are like the foundations of our lives.
They are not separate from us, but naturally tied to our daily
lives. I became much more aware of forests.
(2nd year high school student, female)I realised that technology is not just the skills that are
handed down; it is the accumulation of the devotion and(2nd year high school student, male)wisdom of our ancestors.
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12 Principles of Kikigaki 1
Get to know the neighbourhood
where the interviewee lives
and observe things first-hand.
Do your best to listen to
the voice of the interviewee’s
experience and memory.

12 Principles of Kikigaki 2
Observe
how a person’s work reveals
the story of his/her life.
A person obtains the necessities
of life, fulfils a role in society,cultivates values, and devotes
most of his/her waking hours

Visit the place where theto the work, craft, or professioninterviewee works; get a feel fors/he follows. Observe yourthe land and the natural featuresinterviewee’s life mainly throughof the area. As you learn about

his/her work.

the wisdom and skills involved
in his/her craft, you will begin
to understand his/her life andvalues. Your interviewee will
begin to speak more freely
upon learning that there issomeone who sincerely wants tounderstand and learn about his/her story.

6

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12 Principles of Kikigaki 3
Note the way the era
the person has lived through isreflected in his/her wayof speaking.
A person’s way of speaking reveals
much about the background of
his/her life and personality. Pay
careful attention to the person's
way of speaking, local dialect,generational idiom, and specialised

12 Principles of Kikigaki 4
More important than literarytalent in Kikigaki is the openminded and respectful attitude
you show to the interviewee.
“Kikigaki” writing doesn’t require literary talent. It is muchbetter to be curious about your interviewee, to have thecourage to ask about the things you don’t know about, tohave an attitude that communicates wonder and excitement
about what you hear, and to convey that you respect andcare about the feelings of the interviewee.

work-related terminology .

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12 Principles of Kikigaki 5

12 Principles of Kikigaki 6

Respect dignity ofyour interviewee.

Kikigaki starts withthe encounter of
two people.

The life of each individual is different, and10each person has a story to tell precisely

Start by introducing yourselves to eachbecause of the long journey through life

other. Make eye contact, connect throughs/he has travelled. Individuals may be hard

conversation, and explain why you are

to see against the backdrop of a wholecoming to meet him/her. If you speaksociety or era, but the life of the person you

with an honest and sincere attitude, yourare interviewing will not disappear.

interviewee will certainly open up to you.

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12 Principles of Kikigaki 7

12 Principles of Kikigaki 8

The experiences ofa lifetime cannot be expressedin just a few words.

Cultivate a good rapport
with your interviewee.

Asking “why?” and “how did that happen?” are an important

Make an audio recording of all your conversations with thepart of Kikigaki. As you listen to the interviewee’s story, if you

interviewee; transcribe it word-for-word because that process

pursue each thread of your inquiry carefully, you will discover

will help you to fully and deeply understand your interviewee.

previously unrealised details of the person’s work or life, andYour empathy with your interviewer will be the driving force inyou will be able to get closer to understanding the essencecompleting your Kikigaki work.

of his/her work and way of life.

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12 Principles of Kikigaki 9
Don’t add
your own words;
only edit out unneeded parts.
“Kikigaki” is the process of faithfully compilingonly the interviewee’s own words. Be careful
not to add on your own ideas or opinions
to the story. Furthermore, make sure you
understand and convey the central ideasof your interviews, and cut out only the

12 Principles of Kikigaki 10
Remember it is you
as interviewer who will
help to make the interviewee’s
story shine.
The interviewee shows different dimensions of him/herself,
depending on the angle from which questions are asked.
The interesting thing about Kikigaki is that interviews of
the same person by different interviewers produce quite adifferent record.

unnecessary portions of the dialogue.

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12 Principles of Kikigaki 11
You are the bridge between
the interviewee and the reader.

12 Principles of Kikigaki 12
Kikigaki is a joint productof the interviewer andthe interviewee.

The fundamental point in editing your report

Kikigaki requires the cooperation andis making it readily accessible to readers. It iscollaboration of the interviewer andthrough your writing that the reader has his/herinterviewee. It is very important tofirst encounter with your interviewee. It is up

develop a relationship of mutual trust

to you to convey this story effectively and with

between you and your interviewee.

thoughtfulness and consideration.

And if in the end you develop afeeling of mutual gratitude—if you
can exchange heartfelt “thank yous”
at the end of the project—you will
have realised one of the importantgoals of Kikigaki.

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K i k i g a ki :llenge !
a
h
C
e
h
t
p
Take Ustep-1

Preparations
Yo u r f i r s t s t e p i n Ki k i g a k i !

1 Finding the right person to interview

Give some thought to the theme you have chosen for yourKikigaki project and look for a region or occupation thatmatches that theme. Start your search for persons thatyou could interview with those criteria in mind. One good
method is to ask your teachers, family members or friends
to help introduce you to suitable persons to interview.

2 Contacting your interviewee

Contact the person you want to interview with atelephone call or by writing a letter. Explain clearly the
purpose and goals of the Kikigaki project. If s/he agrees
to a Kikigaki interview, then set a date, time, and place.

preparatory research and3 Doing
creating a questionnaire
Research your interviewee’s occupation and the area
where s/he lives by reading books or studying reliable
sites on the Internet. Think about questions you would
like to ask based on what you have learned, and start by
writing down a list of your questions. Then, using thislist, you can work on the important step of organising in
advance the flow of your interview and the way you will
ask your questions.
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Take
note

The Kikigaki interview is not a simple question-and-answer
session. Try to hold a natural conversation, and rather thanposing questions one after the other, carefully pursue eachthread of your inquiry with further questions. As much as
possible, try not to look at your notes during the interview; usethem mainly as a reminder.

4 Check your equipment

It is important to prepare thoroughly in advance to ensurethat there are no problems with your audio recording.
Make sure in advance that you fully know how to use therecording equipment, and practice ahead of time so you
are familiar with it and can operate it smoothly. Don’t
forget to check that you have new or charged batteries.

Here’s your challenge !
Drawing up your questionnaire
Think about what kind of questions you would like to ask. Try
looking at the example below for reference.

To p i c s

Sample Question Ideas

BasicAge, date and place of birth, family members
information
Childhood

Memories of upbringing, childhood dreams

Work
description

Materials, tools used, when and where he/sheworks, details of procedures or techniques,
things requiring caution in that job

Feelings
about job

Reasons the work is worthwhile, necessary
skills, past challenges or common hardships

FutureObjectives or visions for the future, futureof successors in the craft, profession, or
industry19

Checklist

What you will needs t e p - 2 Interview Day
It’s finally time to meet.
Enjoy listening and learning!

□ Audio reco rder
Prepare your tape recorder
or voice recorder and know
how to use it.

□ Batteries
Bring enough new or fully charged
batteries for the full interview.

□ Camera
Take a portrait photo of your interviewee;
photographs of his/her place or areaof work, equipment used, etc. will be agood addition to your report.

□ Notebook and pens or pencils
Taking down notes about words you
didn't understand or things that you
wanted to hear more about will be useful.

step-1

Key Point

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We rarely sit down to a one-on-one
interview with someone we are meetingfor the first time. The better prepared
you are and the more conscientiously
you approach the interview, the more
successful it will be.

1 Starting your interview

First introduce yourself courteously and tell yourinterviewee about yourself. Explain the aim of the Kikigaki
project and obtain his/her permission to record theconversation and to take photographs.

2 Place and Time

Choose as quiet or secluded a place as possible for theconversation. If you can have your interviewer show you
pictures, drawings, or other materials, actual tools or
the workplace, seeing these can quickly enhance yourunderstanding of what you will be hearing about.
Take
note

Position your audio recorder as close to the interviewee
as possible, and pay attention to interference from noisearound you. Don’t rely only on the audio recording; takegood notes of important information when appropriate.

3 Questions

Start by recording the interviewee’s basic information—
name, birthdate, family members, vocation and so on, andthen move on to the main part of the interview.
When someone is telling a story, there is a tendency toomit details or leave out parts of the story that might not
be clear to a listener who is hearing about the subject
for the first time. Pursue your questions thoroughly, inasking about details of what has been said to make surethat your understanding is correct. Keep in mind that yourattitude, facial expression, and expression of interest will21

affect what the interviewee tells you. The more interest
you have in the story, the more your interviewee will behappy to tell you.
Take
note

In order to effectively convey an in-depth picture of theinterviewee’s life and work, it is important to collect a
range of specific stories or episodes. Therefore, try to
avoid overly general or abstract questions such as, “Howwould you sum up the difficulties of your work?” or “Whatis your purpose in life?”

Here’s your challenge !
Ask i n g qu e sti ons
Askstandard
questionsGet
the full story
Obtainspecifics
Find out
how his/herwork and life
go together

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Things that may be commonplace to theinterviewee may be centrally importantto the work or the craft or skill s/hepractices. Don’t assume that you know
anything about the interviewee or his/her work; do your best to ask questions
that will give you a complete picture.

Here’s your challenge !
Words to be on the alert for
Adjectives

When you hear generalised adjectives
like “big,” “pretty,” etc. in yourinterviewee’s remarks, it may be wise
to follow up by asking “how big?” or“pretty in what way?” so you can really
understand the ideas.

Proper nouns

Confirm how to spell or write the namesof persons or places accurately when
they come up. When it is difficult toimagine a tool, or place, etc., justfrom the name when your interviewer
mentions it, you can ask him/her todraw a picture for you along with giving
an explanation.

Technical
terms

When you hear technical terms or otherwords you don’t understand, be sure to
ask about their meanings, and how tospell or write them.

Who, what, where, when, why, andhow: pursue your questioning carefully
but clearly in order to get a fullunderstanding of all the main featuresof the story.
Ask your interviewee to tell you abouta typical day or year of his/her workand daily life. That kind of account will
give you a fairly accurate picture of theperson’s work as a whole.

step-2

Key Point

Show respect for your interviewee andbe modest, approaching the interview asa person learning about an entirely
new topic. There is no need to beembarrassed about what you do not
know.
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s t e p - 3 Transcription and Editing
What is it that you think the speaker wants to convey?

1 Transcribing your recording

Transcribe the conversation you recorded word-for-word
to maintain the interviewee’s tone. Although it will taketime and effort, this task is important to deepening yourunderstanding of your interviewee, and is an important
opportunity to consider how you will present your report ofthe interview.
Take
note

When you are transcribing the recording, there may be places
where you are not able to hear the recording. You may alsofind that there are parts of the conversation that you didn’t
completely understand. If possible, meet with the interviewee
more than once and continue your interview, checking yourunderstanding of these parts.

2 Compiling your report

Remove your questions, leaving only the speaker’s words,
and edit your record of the interview. If, after removing
your questions, the text is difficult to understand, then fillin the essential parts, such as the subjects of sentencesthat were implicit in the conversation, etc.
Because people tend to jump between topics andrepeat themselves when speaking, you can pull together
related points. Edit out interjections (“um,” “er,” etc.),
extraneous words or peculiar or colloquial expressions inorder to make your report easier to read.

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3 Shortening your report

To create a clear and vivid image of your interviewee’s
personality and work, you may find it desirable to cut out
unnecessary material.
Take
note

Leave out any idle complaints, uniquely personal expressions,or abstract views on the world. Clearly determine what is
important to that person in their consideration of how to live
their life, and what message they want to impart.

Here’s your challenge !
E diting yo ur R epo rt
To make your report easier to read, fill in the implicit subjectsof sentences or any important missing information. You may
want to reorganise the order of parts of the conversations.
How you organise the report is up to you, but be careful not
to distort the main points made by the interviewee or thepassages that reveal his/her character.

● Transcr i pt :Q: How old were you when
you began working in theforestry cooperative?
A: Um, I was 22 years old.
My mother was delighted
with my decision.
Q: That’s great.
A: Well, my mother was myfather’s …. My father was alumberjack so my mother wasprobably identifying me withmy father.

● Example of anorganised passage:▶

When I was 22 years
old, I began working in aforestry cooperative. My
mother was delighted with
my decision. She wasprobably identifying mewith my father, who was alumberjack.

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Be sure to check your work:
The op e n i n g pa g e s of ou r K i k i g a k ireport a re the most i m p or t a n t .
The beginning of your report should give the basic information
about the interviewee (name, age, family members, vocation,etc.), described in his/her own words. If it is clear what type of
person the interviewee is from the outset, the reader will findit easier to read through the report to the end.

step-3

Key Point

Remember that the reader knows
nothing about the interviewee.
Write in a way that allows the reader tocompletely understand the interviewee’s
story. Effectively organise the main
points and utilise the interviewee’s
distinctive voice to enliven the narrative.

s t e p - 4 Completion ofyour Kikigaki Report

One more step left! Create an interesting,easy-to-read report.

1 Consider the entire structure of the reportThink carefully about the overall structure of your report.
For example, you may want to organise the interviewee's
story in chronological order, starting from childhood.
Alternatively, you may decide to introduce recent eventsor stories that made a strong impression on you. How you
structure the report is up to you.
Above all, create an easy to understand, interestingpiece of writing that will hold the reader’s interest.

2 Adding a title and subtitles

Once you have organised the content of the reportand established its narrative, create a title for eachsubsection, and think about the main title for the report.
Be sure to include the names of the interviewer and theinterviewee as well as the date(s) of the interview.

the interviewee to check the content of
3 Askyour report
After compiling and editing the report, be sure to ask
the interviewee to read over your draft and confirm
the contents of your report are accurate. Discuss any
mistakes, supplementary information that should be
included, and text that should be deleted. Include thenecessary revisions in the final version of your report.
Print and bind the completed report. Send a copy of the26

27

completed report and present it to the interviewee as an
expression of your appreciation for his/her cooperation.

step-4

Key Point

Kikigaki is the project of documenting
someone’s life.
As you write your report, be awareof the consideration and trust theinterviewee has placed in you.

Here’s your challenge !

Fi n a l C h e c k□ Did you include the name, gender, age, occupation/

profession, location, family structure, and other basic
information about the interviewee at the beginning of
the report?

□ Have you consistently followed your chosen theme?
Were you able to vividly depict the interviewee’s life,
character, and work?

□ Did you trim out redundant text and compile a wellorganised report?

□ Are there any sections that could be confusing to thereader? (For example, mixing stories from long ago withrecent stories or major digressions from the subject.)□ Have you removed the unnecessary interjections andother speech oddities to make the report easier toread?

□ Have you replaced abstract or ambiguous phrases

such as “kind of like that” or “these kinds of places”
with concrete images that convey the message moreclearly?

□ Did you check your facts (names of people and places,names of tools, etc) carefully?

□ Have you followed a consistent register in writing?

Subject-usage? Calendar systems (local calendar or
Gregorian calendar)? Units (inches or centimetres)?
Other notation?

□ Are your sentences too long? Have you made good useof paragraph breaks and subsections?

□ Did you add simple supplementary definitions fortechnical terms?

□ Are there any typos or misspellings? Proofread carefully.
□ Did you create clear titles and subtitles that areappealing or interesting to the reader? Did you include
the names of the interviewer and interviewee, and thedate(s) of the interview?

□ Did you confirm the contents of your report with theinterviewee and include the necessary changes? If you
are going to print copies of your report in booklet form,
did you get permission from your interviewee?

□ Have you replaced “this,” “that,” and other demonstrative
pronouns with specific words to clarify ambiguousreferences?

28

29

kigaki
i
K
e
h
t
f
o
Ex a m p l e s
t hod
e
M
l
a
n
o
i
t
gramme ─
o
r
P
”
n
Educa
ie
h
s
Ko

o n Ja p a
─ Foc u s in gkin’s“ Kik ig a

The Kikigaki technique is already being utilised in the schools
in Japan. The Kikigaki Koshien programme, which began
in 2002, is a leading example. Every year 100 high school
students interview veteran experts in occupations connectedwith the natural environment of forests, the ocean, and rivers.
Through these one-on-one interview activities, students
record the knowledge, skills, philosophies, and lifestyles ofthese individuals.
The veteran experts who are interviewed are selected by the
Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries in collaboration
with private organisations. Meanwhile, the Ministry of
Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology invites
high school students throughout the country to participate
in the Kikigaki programme. The programme is primarily
administered by the NPO Kyozon-no-mori Network and ismade possible through the support and cooperation of many
private businesses and other organisations.
Veterans in such occupations as reforestation, charcoal
making, boatbuilding, woodworking, and fishing are people
whose work benefits from their long experience of working
with nature. In contrast, most of the students who participate
in the Kikigaki programme are from urban areas. While thesestudents may have an interest in nature, they are not familiar
with the knowledge and skills that are needed to live in the
countryside. Nevertheless, these young people undertake thechallenge of Kikigaki interviews.

The First Interview
The fundamental activity of Kikigaki is listening, which isrooted in the two-way interaction, or dialogue, between two
people. As the interviewer’s interests and concerns change,30

31For example, an expert in forestry who has been working tomaintain local forests over many years will tell an interviewer
about the changes that occur in the forests as the seasons
turn, or about how to appreciate the mountains. Besides
expressing the pride, joy and difficulty they find in their work,
forestry experts may also be frank in voicing sadness thatthe sons they hoped would succeed them in their work have
moved to the cities to pursue other careers. Listening to thestories of these experts, students begin to think more deeply
about the meaning of work, living, and the meaning of theirown lives.

The Benefits of Kikigaki
so the topics of conversation will shift. The greater theempathy between interviewer and interviewee and the morethey open themselves to each other, the more likely it willbe that they will achieve a meaningful conversation. In the
Kikigaki Koshien programme, high school students are theinterviewers of men and women who are generally in their
sixties, seventies, or eighties—that is, approximately the ageof their grandparents.
In recent years, young people are increasingly absorbed invideo games, mobile phones, and the Internet, and many havebecome inept at communicating with other people. Moreover,they learn about the problems and issues in society primarily
through textbooks, TV, and the Internet, rather than throughfirst-hand experience.
For young people, then, visiting these veteran experts,
coming into contact with the landscape and ethos of the local
area where they live, and seeing firsthand their interviewee’s
place of work, are invaluable experiences.
32“Kikigaki” involves recording and then transcribing the
dialogue with the interviewee; the interviewer plays therecording, stops it, and transcribes the words. The students
listen over and over to the voices of these people who have
lived for a long time, and the words make them think. In
the process, the students often grasp important words or
passages that they may have missed during the interview
itself. They may come to a better understanding of what they
have heard, realising, “Oh, so that is what he was trying tosay!” Although transcription is a labour-intensive process, it isa necessary process for gaining a deep understanding of theinterviewee.
One high school student said, “As I was editing mytranscript for the report, I suddenly realised that I was
unconsciously using the expert’s words as if they were myown. This mysterious sensation is something I could only
have experienced through Kikigaki.”
For their part, many of the veteran experts who are33

interviewed later say, “it was the first time I ever thoughtback about my life and told my story to anyone.” There arealso those who remarked, “I didn’t think my life was very
important or worth talking about, but when I read the report
you compiled, I felt as though my life may not have been awaste. Thank you for your hard work.”
In this way, through the encounter of two people, Kikigaki
makes it possible for veteran experts who are often buried intheir local environments to reconfirm their self-respect andpersonal dignity.

The Young People Who have Benefited from Kikigaki
The Kikigaki Koshien programme began ten years ago. The
number of students who have participated in the programme

farming, mountain and fishing villages continues to advance,

will soon rise to over 1,000. The voluminous results of their

Kikigaki activities enable us to connect to the future hopes

efforts, moreover, serve as an archive of the knowledge andand dreams of the people of these regions.

skills of Japanese who live and work close to nature. Along

The Kikigaki Koshien programme is garnering attention aswith publishing the Kikigaki reports, the Kyozon-no-morian initiative in line with one the United Nations themes of

Network makes them available through an electronic library“Education for Sustainable of Development.”on the Internet.
The Kikigaki Koshien programme has not ended just with
documentation. The experts who spoke of “the tears of the34

Kikigaki in the Schools

forests” and “the loneliness of the villages” have touched

The success of the Kikigaki Koshien programme led tothe hearts of their student interviewers. The students havethe adoption of the Kikigaki method in regular school

formed groups that go into farming, mountain, and fishing

curriculums. One example is a class called, “Creations fromvillages all over Japan, and engage in such activities as

the Environment” taught at the University of Tsukuba Senior

maintaining Satoyama areas, protecting terraced rice fields,

High School at Sakado in Saitama prefecture. One year in thisand restoring seaweed beds. Through these activities,class, when the theme was “Uses of Bamboo,” students used

they seek to share the sentiments of the people of those

the Kikigaki method to interview craftsmen who made rope,

communities and participate in their dreams for the future

farming tools, and charcoal out of bamboo. The students

through Kikigaki. Although depopulation and aging in Japan’s

learned how the types of bamboo used and the season when35

it is harvested differ depending on the products to be madeshopkeepers well, like the elderly lady who runs the tofu

and what they are to be used for. They realised how justshop. She wakes up far earlier than the students to work inbamboo alone is reborn into many different kinds of products

the shop, carefully boiling the soybeans and making the tofu.

depending on the types of bamboo and the technology used.

They found out that the soybeans she uses are supplied

The class proved a good opportunity for students to raise

directly by local farmers. The fresh, warm tofu gives off a

their awareness about the diversity of human ingenuity andwarm, sweet smell. The students told their mothers about

the wisdom of traditional crafts. The teacher in charge of thisthe local tofu maker. One told his mother, “So I would rather

class believes that Kikigaki is of great value as an integral

you bought tofu from the tofu store than at the supermarket.

part of career education.

Starting tomorrow, please buy our tofu at the tofu shop.”High school students in their mid- to late-teens are at

After finishing their Kikigaki projects, the students havea time in their lives when they are trying to decide what

begun to truly see the people who work in the shopping

career path to choose. What are their dreams and goals

district and understand what they are thinking about as they

for the future? Should they attend university or enter thework. Now, as the students pass by the shops in the morning,

workforce immediately after graduating from high school? For

they hail the shopkeepers with ringing “Good Morning”

young people who are about to take their first steps towardgreetings.

adulthood, learning from the life and career outlook of their

Japan has always had strong local community ties. People

elders is one of the most important things they can do. It is

help and support each other in order to enhance their lives

through encounters with others that young people develop

in their local areas and sustain their livelihoods. Particularly

the values that will guide them through their lives.

in cities, however, the bonds between people who live andwork in the same place are much weaker. In this way, it has

Connecting Regions through Kikigaki

been found that the Kikigaki approach is also useful for

At a public junior high school in Kakunodate (part of therebuilding the foundations of local communities.

strengthening the bonds among people, and re-examining andpresent-day city of Semboku) in Akita prefecture, students
form groups and use the Kikigaki approach to interview local
residents in their area as part of their Japanese language
class. One year, in the shopping mall near their school,

In recent years the Kikigaki approach has been recognised

Kakunodate students applied the Kikigaki method to interview

for its usefulness both for preserving traditional knowledge

the tofu maker, the fish vendor, the proprietor of the general-and as an approach to capacity building in education. In

goods store (zakkaya ), and other owners of the small shopsthat make up the old-style shotengai shopping mall there.

The junior high school students got to know the interviewee
36

Kikigaki beyond Japan

Indonesia, for example, the Kikigaki approach will be used in
education to raise awareness of the value and importance of
local traditions and culture.
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Kikigaki Wo

Seeing the Interconnections
in Nature through Whitebait
Fishing

Not only preserving primeval forests, but also humaninfluenced natural environments, such as the farmland
and secondary forests that people have developed andmaintained over a long time, is equally important in protecting
biodiversity and human well-being. Such landscapes as

Interviewee Mr. Koji Iwasaki (64)villages, farmlands, and adjacent woods and grasslands that

Interviewer Moe Yoshii (16)have been shaped and maintained through long-term human
influence vary widely due to their unique adaptations to local
climatic, geographic, cultural and socio-economic conditions.
The conservation and utilisation of these natural landscapes,● The “Staple” of the Sea

however, face difficulties in many parts of the world due

I started fishing for whitebait with my father when I wasto urbanisation, industrialisation, and drastic increases orabout 16. Three generations of my family, my grandfather,decreases in population.
Approaches like Japan’s Kikigaki Koshien have the potential
for widespread application in areas that are confronting thesetypes of problems. In many regions all over the world, the use

father, and I, have been fishermen. Whitebait are sardine,anchovy, and herring fry of about three centimetres—they’resemi-transparent and do not have scales. In Japan, we callof the Kikigaki method can contribute to renewed appreciation

whitebait “the white rice” of the sea because they are theof the sustainable use and management of natural resources

staple of the diet of so many other kinds of fish. If this staple

and the preservation and recreation of a positive relationshipfood of the oceans were to disappear, those fish would not

between humans and nature.

survive.

● Whitebait Net Design and Fishing Method
The plankton on which whitebait feed propagate in riverdelta areas where freshwater and saltwater mingle, andthe whitebait come from farther offshore to feed on theseplankton. The freshwater that flows down the streams andrivers from the mountains to the sea, therefore, is very
important.
The whitebait fishing season comes around three times
during the year. In the spring, from April to mid-May, is the
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becomes progressively smaller down to 0.5 millimetres. We
encircle the whitebait school and draw them in using this net.
It is designed so that large fish can escape, while just theschools of whitebait are caught.
All the whitebait that we catch, we process and sell
4

ourselves. It is our family business. The fish are rinsed andboiled in a 3 percent salt solution. The brine is made withsweet sun-dried salt

3

. After boiling, the fish are quickly(*1)

cooled and refrigerated, a process that brings out the flavour.
We also sell dried as well as fresh whitebait.

● Vital Links
best time for harvesting whitebait; the other times are in

As residential areas expand, forests are disappearing, andsummer and fall. In the spring, we fish in the shallow waters

what happens then is that water quality suffers. Today we doof the bays; later in the year, we trawl about two kilometres

have modern sewage processing systems, but detergents

offshore.

and other household chemicals drain into and contaminate

These days we locate schools of whitebait by using sonicfish finders, but in the past we used our fisherman's instincts.

local rivers.
Along the seashore as well, landfills have degraded theIn the spring, we know the smell of the air that means “theseas, destroying the relationship between the land and thewhitebait are coming.” We can tell from the smell of the air

ocean, and taking away our means of livelihood. We need tocoming from offshore when it is time to head out to fish. We

better preserve our natural environments. The mountains

can also distinguish the different types of whitebait. I always

and rivers feed the ocean; this relationship is of the greatest

felt an indescribably wonderful feeling whenever I found myimportance.

intuition had guided me correctly.
A whitebait net is made up of a 30-metre bag net trailingat the end of a 100-metre surrounding net, which is affixed
to the ends of 100-metre of rope. The mesh size of thesurrounding net is about 1 metre. The mesh size of the
bag net starts at 3 centimetres for the first 5-metres and40(*1) This crystallised salt is made from seawater, which is dried in sunshine andwind,and is rich in minerals.

Koji Iwasaki was born in 1945 in the city of Yokosuka, Kanagawa prefecture. After
graduating from junior high school, he followed in his father's footsteps as awhitebait fisherman. Today he continues fishing with his son, a fourth-generation
fisherman.

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Kikigaki Wo

with good-quality genetic

Harvesting Seeds for
Forests 100 Years From Now
Interviewee Mr. Mitsuru Sugimoto (70)Interviewer Nanase Shirota (15)makeup. Harvesting of
quality seeds, therefore,
is the most basic of thevery root of good forest
management.
The right time for
harvesting seeds is thethree-week period from● Following in My Father’s Footsteps

October 20th to November

I was born and raised in the village of Kawakami in Nara

10th. First we select seed

prefecture. The house I was born in was on the middle slopes

trees by assessing theirof the mountain, so the woods were my playground most of

shape and the texture of

the time. I was adventurous and probably a bit mischievous.

their bark. It has taken us

When I was 22 I started helping my father harvesting the

30 years to perfect thisseeds of cedar trees, but when I tried climbing trees, I could

method of seed harvesting.

only make it up about two metres. My father ribbed me, “What!

If we consider that the trees mature over a period of 100

That’s as far as you can go!? You’re hopeless!” Well, I knew I

years, we cannot help feeling a strong sense of responsibility

couldn’t disappoint my father, so I learned how to go higher,

for getting these practices right.

and eventually I took over the work.

To climb the trees we use a type of sling called a “karuko,”
consisting of a rope and wood blocks or short rods. The● The Process of Seed Harvestingends of the rope are wrapped around the tree and knotted to

The area around Kawakami is fertile ground for the growth

wooden blocks on which we place our feet to climb the tree.

of cedar forests and receives plenty of rain, so 70 percent

When you climb a 70 to 80 year-old tree that has reached aof the land within the village boundaries is planted forest.

height of 40 metres and gaze out over the treetops at theThese forests are filled with fine cedars thanks to thebeautiful mountain landscape, you can understand how the(*1)

wise management of our predecessors. In order to produce
strong trees for harvesting as timber, good saplings areneeded. And in order to grow good saplings, we need seeds
42birds must feel.
In harvesting seeds, we climb the trees and with a sickle,
cut off branches that have cones attached. We have to
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concentrate carefully when we’re gathering seed cones, but itis so enjoyable that sometimes I find myself humming a songas I work.
We bundle the cut branches and dry them for two weeks.
We then beat the bundles inside a large barrel, knocking out
the seeds the size of rice kernels into the barrel. We then use
a fine mesh sieve to separate the seeds from the chaff. We
carefully store selected seeds until spring.

Kikigaki Wo

Sustaining Use of Mountain
Areas through Slash-andBurn FarmingInterviewee Ms. Kuniko Shiiba (85)Interviewer Kikuno Nakayama (15)● Managing Forests with Nature’s Balance in Mind

● Living in Harmony with Nature

The forest is a kind of home—a home not only to humans,

My family was quite poor, so from around the time I was in

but animals and other plants. By protecting not only planted

third grade of elementary school, I helped with the burning

forests, but natural forests(*2)

as well, we can protect theof the mountain fields.(*1) Later, at the age of 23, I married,balances of nature. Forestry in high mountain areas is notand to this day, I have worked constantly with slash-and-profitable, so if we maintain the old-growth forests there, weburn type of cyclical farming. In the first year of the cycle

can preserve good habitats for animals, and the nutrients of

we plant soba buckwheat, in the second year, some variety

those areas will flow down to the planted forests below. Weof millet, in the third year, adzuki beans, and in the fourth

have to actively cultivate and nurture the planted forests,

year, soybeans. After the fourth year has passed, the soil ishowever—just the same as we would do with our children. We

no longer productive. Then we don’t try to grow crops there

must pass on the knowledge of fostering and preserving the

any more, but just let the land revert to nature for the next

forests to the next generation, because the forests are theseveral decades. That way, we do no permanent damage tomost important foundation of human life in this country.

the natural environment (*2). This rule should never be altered.
This is the way people ought to live in harmony with nature.

(*1) Artificially planted forests make up about 40 percent of Japan’s entire forests. The mostcommonly planted trees are Japanese cedar (sugi ), cypress (hinoki ), larch (karamatsu ), and other suchconifers that provide timber suitable for construction.
*2) Naturally growing forests in Japan are made up of largely oak and other broadleaf trees.

Mitsuru Sugimoto was born in 1932 in the village of Kawakami in Nara prefecture. After
graduating from junior high school, he entered the forestry profession. A master of the
traditional art of tree climbing using karuko , he has been harvesting the seeds of cedar trees
for more than 50 years.

44● Setting the Fires and the Mountain Gods
August is the time for burning. So in June, we cut down thetrees and shrubs, and clear away undergrowth in the area wewant to make the field—which we call the yabo. Around theburn area we clear a firebreak, removing the trees, and all the45appeal to the gods to protect the animals and to watch overthe mountain. Even if we cannot see them, the mountain gods
are there, all around us.

● Sowing and Harvesting
After the burning is finished, we sow the soba buckwheat
seeds. There is no need to water them. We just sweep overthe ground with a broom so that the ash covers the seeds
and when the morning dew falls, the seeds will sprout. The
soba grown in such fields has a pleasant aroma and chewy
texture. We want to continue to have products like this, so
we keep on with this slash-and-burn method. All that effort
brush to ensure that the fire does not spread beyond the burnis to make sure we’ll have seeds to carry over to the nextarea.

generation. After all, neither plants nor animals can survive

One person starts the burning at the top of the slope. When
we judge the time is right, another person lights the fire going

without perpetuating their seed.
Japanese varieties of millet (hie and awa ) are planted inin a straight line down the slope to the mid point all in one

May of the following year. The harvested heads of millet are

go. Lighting the upper part first assures that the fire will notdried and if kept in a storehouse (kura ) built of wood, it cango out of control, and after that we can burn the remainder

be stored for 100 years. On my farm we have grain fromfrom the bottom. We keep to this method of burning because

60 years ago that is perfectly edible. So if you know how to

if we were to light the fire in many different places at once, it

practice slash-and-burn agriculture, you will never go hungry.

could easily get out of control.
Before we begin the burning, we make prayers to themountain gods. We announce that we will now set the fieldalight, and we pray that all the snakes, frogs, insects andother living things will quickly depart from the scene. To thegods of the mountain and of fire we pray that the flames will
not burn beyond the bounds of the field and ask the gods towatch over us. We are setting fire to the mountain, so we
46(*1) Agricultural method by which mountain forest and fields are cleared and then burned, and theash serves as fertiliser, nourishing the crops.
(*2) In Japan’s climate, areas not under cultivation the vegetation recover after about 20 years, andwhen the farmer determines that the trees and other plants have grown back sufficiently, the process
can be repeated in the same area.

Shiiba Kuniko was born in 1924 in the village of Shiiba in Miyazaki prefecture. She haspracticed traditional slash-and-burn farming for many years, and in the process, has
cultivated native species of soba, Japanese varieties of millet, and other grains.

47

Afterword
The Satoyama Initiative promotes the maintenance andrebuilding of landscapes in which the sustainable use of landand natural resources is practiced in accordance with local
characteristics and the nature of the society and economy of
our times. The integration of traditional ecological knowledge
and modern science as well as the passing down of various
cultural legacies and technical skills are valuable for thesustainable management of these landscapes.
The Kikigaki method can help in the collection anddocumenting of traditional knowledge. In the process, it is ourhope that it will also contribute to the enhancement of thecapacities of young people and to raising their awarenessabout the value and importance of local traditions and culture.
We hope that this text can be a useful tool for efforts torecord oral history around the world.

Listening and Documenting
─“Kikigaki”: A Tool for Sharing Wisdom for Sustainable Societies ─
Published, May 2012
Authors: Nanase Shirota, Nahoko Yoshino
Design: Tomoko Iwai
Translation: Kurtis Kiyoshi Nakamura
Secretariat of the International Partnership for the Satoyama Initiative
United Nations University Institute of Advanced Studies(UNU-IAS)
in cooperation with the NPO Kyozon-no-mori Networkand the Ministry of the Environment, Government of Japan

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This booklet has been prepared as an IPSI collaborative activity between the United Nations University,
Kyozon no Mori Network and the Ministry of the Environment, Japan

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