Local Wisdom in Japanese Community through a Myth of Yamagami in Novel Kamusari Na Na Nichijou

Abstract

. This paper discusses the local wisdom in Japanese society through a myth of Yamagami in Japanese novel namely Kamusari Na Na Nichijou written by Miura Shion. The story tells about Yuki Hirano a young boy from Yokohama, one of the major cities in Japan who decided to be a forest worker and live in a countryside of Kamusari Mountain for one year. During staying in that village, he was extremely surprised by the tradition of that community. The people in the village believe a myth about the existence of a Goddess of Mountain ( Yamagami ) is called Ooyamazomi who controls that place. By using ecofeminism theory, this paper aim to show that the local wisdom of community in Kamusari village related closely to the myth of Yamagami which is considered by cultural ecofeminists as the 'Goddess Earth Mother' which gives life through its natural resources. For expressing their feeling of reciprocity and gratitude to Yamagami , they offering dances, songs, and a festival of Ooyamazomi which all refer to the spirit activities of the cultural ecofeminism.