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This book examines the history of agriculture in premodern Japan, dealing with the history of agricultural techniques and the food supply, analysing in detail each of the farming operations from sowing to harvesting and the customs pertaining to consumption. It challenges the widespread theory that rice cultivation has been the basis of "Japaneseness" for two millennia and the foundation of Japanese civilization by focussing on the biodiversity and polycultural traditions of Japan. It will also play a role in the current dialogue on the future of sustainable agriculture from the viewpoints of ecology, biodiversity, dietary culture and food security throughout the world.
Charlotte von Verschuer is a Professor at the École Pratique des Hautes Études (EPHE), Paris, France. Her research interests focus on agriculture, economics, foreign relations and material culture. Her books include Across the Perilous Sea: Japanese Trade with China and Korea from the Seventh to the Sixteenth Centuries (2006).
Wendy Cobcroft is a translator of premodern Japanese history and literature.
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