26 AMAM.OBERLIN.EDU FORESTRY By the beginning of the Edo period, overexploitation of forest resources, particularly from clear-cutting of the most desirable old-growth conifers, had led to a crisis, as the forests could not recover effectively. After an initial period of tree censuses and overly harsh restrictions on forest use, followed by local protest, the Edo government developed a flexible arrangement for sustainable, mixed-use forestry. Local administrators enforced the rules and judged disputes, but also supervised forest management and replanting. Rural villagers had access to the lower forests of broad-leaf trees and bamboo to gather firewood, but only what had fallen naturally. The big conifers like sugi (cryptomeria) and hinoki (cypress) in the upper, deeper forest were reserved by the government for urban buildingmaterial. Commercial logging of the upper forests was done by isolated lumberjack communities living deep in the forests. Cut trees were lashed together into rafts and floated downriver to the cities. There, guilds of brokers and dealers sold the lumber for building projects. The complexities of this regulatory systemwere mitigated through adaptability to local conditions, flexibility from the government, a system for filing claims or grievances, and a general cultural commitment to reducing waste and respecting long-term needs. UtagawaHiroshige I 初代目歌川広重 (Japanese, 1797–1858) Winter: Snowon the SumidaRiver, fromthe series Famous Places inEdo inFour Seasons, ca. 1834 Color woodblock print (nishiki-e); ink and color on paper MaryA. AinsworthBequest, 1950.1126 On a snowy day, a lone figure poles his raft along the Sumida River in Edo. Awonderful example of the synthesis of high-brow and low-brow in Edo period popular culture, this serenely beautiful print combines a style and composition rooted in elite painting traditions with an image of everyday labor in the lumber industry and a witty kyōka poem. Even on the waters of Sumida River the snow that falls fails to melt –Or could they be seagulls? —Translation by Matthi Forrer, Hiroshige: Prints and Drawings (1997) UtagawaHiroshige I 初代目歌川広重 (Japanese, 1797–1858) No. 33, Motoyama, fromthe series Sixty-nine Stations of theKisokaidō, late 1830s Color woodblock print (nishiki-e); ink and color on paper MaryA. AinsworthBequest, 1950.881 Two men sit on a log next to a mountain road near Motoyama, in the mountains of central Japan. They seem to be sharing a pleasant moment smoking and warming themselves by a fire. They are probably local villagers, out collecting fallen twigs and branches for firewood. Next to the man on the right lies a small saw for cutting up branches, its blade protected by a woven cover. Two young boys carry large baskets of firewood down the mountain andmay be just catching up to the two men, ready for a break as well. Another traveler on the road crests the hill behind them. The tree stump in the backgroundmay suggest recent logging, but may also have been cut as a safety measure. Similarly, note the pine stretching over the path, propped up by a frame to keep the road passable.
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