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Exploring the change in fauna and flora from the results of the natural history of Tokugawa Japan

update:2020-06-16
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The natural history as nomenclature and description flourished in the 18th and early 19th century in Western countries, while in Japan as an exception in non-Western world, a characteristic description system was developed in the same period. And thus vast information concerning the flora and fauna in Japan was collected and organized. We are to make use of the results of the natural history of Tokugawa Japan for the diachronic environmental Studies. Especially as for indicator species we extract and reclassify the reliable materials from the literature and documents of Edo era from the perspective of the current taxonomy. And we compare them carefully with the scientific achievements after Meiji era aiming to point out the environmental changes in Japan and its surrounding areas. For example, the drastic changes in some geese populations wintering in Japan correlate strongly with the damages to the environment given by the developments in Far Eastern Siberia by the Russian Empire and in the Kuril Islands by Japan. We are prepared to provide academic consultations to corporations interested in our research.

Researchers

Graduate School of International Cultural Studies

SUZUKI Michio , Professor
Ph.D.

Keywords

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