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Paper short abstract

Animal mercy releases (hōjōe 放生) in Japan are rooted in Buddhist principles of compassion and the prohibition on killing. While intended to enhance animal welfare, these practices raise significant ethical and ecological issues, necessitating a thorough examination of their modern impacts.

Paper long abstract

Animal mercy releases, known as hōjōe 放生in Japanese, are rituals where animals are released during Shinto and Buddhist ceremonies. While often seen as compassionate and animal-friendly, their development raises important ethical and ecological concerns that require careful review of their current impact. The earliest known animal release rituals in Japan date to around 745 CE, nearly 200 years after Buddhism's introduction. Over time, these rituals merged with Shinto practices, making hōjōe a prominent example of how a Chinese Buddhist ritual was adapted into Japanese spirit-revering traditions (chinkonsai 鎮魂祭). Until the premodern era, hōjōe was closely tied to the Hachiman cult, spreading from Kyūshū's main shrine to Iwashimizu Shrine in Kyōto and across Japan. This changed when the Chinese text Jiesha fangsheng wen 戒殺放生文 (essay on non-killing and animal release) by monk Zhuhong 祩宏 (1535-1615), circulated in the early 16th century. It was then translated into Japanese vernacular by Jōdo Shin priest Asai Ryōi 浅井了意 (1612-1691). Subsequently, the ethic of avoiding killing and releasing animals gained popularity in Japan, influencing many Buddhist leaders and possibly inspiring the infamous “Laws of Compassion for Living Beings” (Shōruiawareminorei 生類憐みの令) enacted by the fifth Tokugawa shogun, Tsunayoshi 徳川綱吉 (1680-1709). During the late Edo period, animal release ceremonies shifted from their original form and evolved into the human-centred rituals we observe today. In these ceremonies, people can easily earn “karma” points for themselves and their ancestors without reflecting on their eating habits or how they treat animals. To acknowledge the ongoing popularity of these rituals, fish and birds became the primary animals released, as they were quickly caught and easy to set free. For decades, no attention was paid to the fact that many species, including some invasive ones, were chosen for these rituals due to their low procurement costs, which placed significant pressure on the local ecosystem. This paper aims to explore the history of the hōjōe ritual in Japan, its underlying ethical principles and its devastating ecological impact.

Keywords: Animals in Captivity, Release Ritual, Buddhism, Japan, China, Ecological impact, Animal Ethics, Environmental Ethics, Buddhist Ethics, Environmental Humanities.

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This paper examines how the missionaries who arrived in Japan in the sixteenth century quickly adapted to its natural environment. It also traces the evolution of their discourse, shifting from an emphasis on its harshness in the early decades to a gentler portrayal by the end of the century.

Paper long abstract

The Southern European missionaries who arrived in Japan in the middle of the sixteenth century adapted to Japanese society and way of life in many different manners: etiquette, dietary habits, church architecture, language, etc., in a process that has been termed “cultural accommodation.” However, the Europeans who settled in various “New Worlds” also had to adapt to new natural environments. While in some places, like tropical Africa, this adaptation proved almost impossible, in others, like Mesoamerica, the mildness of the climate facilitated European penetration. Japan occupied an intermediate position. Although the newcomers had to face more extreme weather and frequent natural disasters, the course of the seasons was not dissimilar to that of Europe. The absence of new pathogens also facilitated the settlement of the missionaries. Nevertheless, we can observe an evolution in the discourse on the Japanese environment that parallels, on one hand, the advances in missionary work, and on the other hand, the pacification of the country. In this way, the harshness of the Japanese environment is emphasized in the first decades of the mission, while by the end of the century, the missionaries seem to have “tamed” the nature in Japan. They feel more comfortable and convey a softer vision of its environment, a vision that aligns with a more assertive position after decades of missionary work and accumulation of knowledge.

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This paper examines Terada Torahiko’s 1935 essay “Japanese People’s View of Nature,” focusing on seasonality and his concept of the Holistic Organism. It applies seasonal aesthetics to both an ecologically relational view of nature and a modern discourse of “Japaneseness” shaped by nationalism.

Paper long abstract

This study examines the discourse of a commonly imagined harmonious relationship between the Japanese and nature, focusing on the role of seasonal aesthetics in constructing this image of harmony. As a case study, it analyzes Terada Torahiko’s 1935 essay “Nihonjin no shizenkan” (Japanese People’s View of Nature). A physicist, haiku poet, and essayist, Terada surveys the Japanese archipelago’s geographical and geological conditions, its flora and fauna, and the ways in which Japanese people have interacted with nature in both everyday and spiritual contexts.

Central to the essay is Terada’s concept of the “Holistic Organism” (zenkiteki yukitai). Terada critically argues that, even though people in his time tend to put humans and nature into a binary, they should not be separated, as they are interdependent. He further proposes that the interaction between the Japanese people and the natural conditions of the archipelago constitutes an organic whole. While it resonates with some of his contemporary philosophical ideas and literary trends, the view of nature presented by Terada also shares some similarities with certain concepts of contemporary environmental ethics, such as deep ecology and bioregionalism.

Seasonality is crucial to Terada’s theory of the relationship between the Japanese and nature. Terada views Japanese literature and art as records of various phenomena in Holistic Organism, with tanka and haiku being the most significant. He emphasizes the seasonal lexicon in poetry as something that gives spatially and temporally concrete images to the Holistic Organism. This perspective on seasonality, representing the Japanese putative harmonious relationship with nature, resonates with the concept of “Japaneseness” in modern-era discourse that has been prevalent since the Meiji period (1868-1912) and onward.

By examining Terada’s treatment of seasonality, this paper argues that his theory simultaneously articulates an ecologically resonant view of nature and reproduces a sense of “Japaneseness” infused with nationalism, ubiquitous at the early stage of the modern nation-state. In doing so, it highlights the ambivalent role of seasonal aesthetics in modern Japanese thought, situated between environmental ethics and the symbolic identity of the modern nation-state, a role still commonly circulated to this day.

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This presentation compares how multilingual tourism texts construct “sacred nature” at two contrasting heritage sites: Okinoshima, a restricted ritual sanctuary, and Miyajima, an open tourist destination. An ecostylistic analysis shows how language shapes visitors’ environmental perceptions.

Paper long abstract

This presentation examines how multilingual tourism texts construct environmental and cultural meanings at two contrasting sacred landscapes in Japan: Okinoshima and Miyajima. While Okinoshima is a UNESCO World Heritage site known for its strict access restrictions, ritual secrecy, and long-standing religious traditions, Miyajima (Itsukushima) represents a highly accessible and internationally popular heritage destination. By comparing these divergent cases within an ecostylistic framework, the study investigates how language mediates “sacred nature” and shapes visitor perceptions.

Based on fieldwork conducted in Munakata and Miyajima—including Japanese and English signage, pamphlets, explanatory boards, and digital materials—the analysis identifies distinct narrative and stylistic strategies. At Okinoshima, multilingual texts foreground its role as a site of ancient state rituals, maritime protection, and spiritual significance. Expressions such as “national rituals,” “sacred island,” and “majestic appearance” construct the island as a culturally charged and symbolically protected environment. The English versions often reorganize information, add explanatory detail, or simplify culturally specific concepts, thereby modulating how the site’s sacred and historical meanings are communicated.

In contrast, texts at Miyajima emphasize accessibility, scenic beauty, and responsible interaction with wildlife and landscape. The multilingual materials highlight environmental protection, coexistence with deer, crowd management, and the cultural significance of the torii and shrine complex. Compared with Okinoshima, Miyajima’s narratives are more visitor-oriented and practical, drawing on widely shared environmental values rather than esoteric ritual language.

By juxtaposing these two sites, the presentation demonstrates how tourism texts negotiate differing relationships between humans and nature: sacred detachment at Okinoshima and experiential engagement at Miyajima. The comparison shows how stylistic choices—such as evaluative vocabulary, omission, metaphor, and cross-lingual modulation—construct varied environmental imaginaries and guide visitor expectations.

The study contributes to environmental humanities, linguistic anthropology, and Japanese religious studies by revealing how multilingual textual mediation shapes the moral and ecological framing of sacred landscapes. It also provides broader implications for heritage communication in East Asia, where cultural preservation, tourism pressures, and environmental stewardship increasingly intersect.