There is a rather popular opinion that deer were put to roam streets of Nara as a pure tourist attraction.
Well, there is a grain of truth in it. The city does cash out on deer as they drive a constant flow of tourists, but deer have been there way before the first foreign tourist ever set his foot on Japanese land. And their story is much more interesting than all cat cities, bunny islands and fox villages combined.
So, why deer? Why in Nara? Where did they come from in such numbers? And what’s so special about them, anyway? Let’s find out!
Contents:
- Deer in the myth of Amaterasu Sun Goddess
- The poetic animal
- Kasuga Shrine, Deer mandala and the divine ancestors of Japanese aristocrats
- Deer over people or bloodthirsty Buddhist monks
- The never-ending deer problems
- The evil governor and the saviour
- To eat or not to eat – Nara deer in the 20th century
- BONUS: The poop talk
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In Episode 21 of Lucky Star girls go on a school trip to Kyoto and Nara, where they encounter deer. In this short clip you can see for yourself exactly how 200+ people get injured every year by such cute and gentle animals.
Books
An ancient collection of myths, legends and semi-historical accounts of early Japanese history. It’s not the most exiting read I’ve ever had. But reading Kojiki at least once will help you to understand a basis of Japanese culture, so trust me, it’ll turn very useful in a long run.
An anthology of Japanese poetry compiled in the second half of the 8th century. Personally, poetry is not my thing. Especially Japanese poetry as it is more a game of finding symbols and references than anything else. But everyone is different, and maybe Man’yoshu is a book for you.
A really nice article by Kyoto University Professor where he shows you some diary notes written by Heian nobility on their trips to Nara and encounters with deer.
Sorry, the rest is in Japanese. But let me know if you’d like to see Japanese sources included in the next episode notes.
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Talk to you soon. Bye!
