Cultural Landscape related to Food
JYuxin Zhou
Student in Master Program
Location of Tsushima
(Geospatial Information Authority of Japan)
A study of cultural landscapes related to food,
taking "Sendango" in Tsushima, Nagasaki Prefecture as an example
In Japan, cultural landscapes related to food culture have come to be recognized through the establishment of Important Cultural Landscapes and the registration of washoku (Japanese cuisine) as a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage.
The purpose of this study is to clarify the components of the cultural landscape related to traditional preserved food of Tsushima, sendango, and to clarify the value of cultural landscapes related to food. Furthermore, I will consider conservation measures for the cultural landscape related to sendango, and propose ways to preserve and manage landscapes related to Japanese food culture.
The research methods consists of literature surveys, field surveys, and qualitative analysis.
Where is Tsushima?
Tsushima Island is an island of the Japanese archipelago situated in-between the Tsushima Strait and Korea Strait, approximately halfway between Kyushu and the Korean Peninsula.
What is “Sendango”?
"Sendango" is a kind ofpreserved food unique to Tsushima, made by extracting starch from sweet potatoes through a complex process that involves washing, fermenting, drying, and settling.
Research flow
Study 1
Food-related components are extracted from 72 cases of important cultural landscapes selected from official documents of the Agency for Cultural Affairs, and the relationship between food and landscape is clarified, focusing on the production environment and production activities. In addition, previous papers and public documents on local activities related to food and landscapes implemented in Japan are collected, and various systems and support measures are compared and analyzed to clarify the role that these systems and support play in regional development of food and landscapes.
Study 2
In order to clarify the village landscape and life landscape in Tsushima, a field survey is conducted, and a questionnaire and interview survey is conducted for farmers who make "Sendango". In the face-to-face survey, data is collected on the distribution of farmers, the production process of sendango, and the life culture. After that, the collected data is analyzed using NVivo, a qualitative analysis method, and the issues that farmers think about and their interest in food and landscapes, as well as the relationship with the current organizational structure in regional development of food and landscapes are summarized. From the above, the cultural landscape considering the production activities is clarified.
Study 3
Conservation measures for the cultural landscape related to "Sendango" are examined. The effects of various systems and support measures for local activities related to food and landscape, as clarified in Study 1, will be examined by applying them to Tsushima and Sendango, and the effects of the resulting conservation and management of the landscape will be hypothetically demonstrated.
Sendango and Sweet potatoes
Research Achievements
Coming Soon!
About Rechercher
LPT N1
Bachelor of Agriculture, Shanghai Jiaotong University, China
Research Theme
Research on the cultural landscape of food, using "Sendango" in Tsushima, Nagasaki Prefecture as an example
Research Keywords
Cultural Landscape, Food Culture, Remote Island, Tsushima
