‘Rice is sacred to Japan — part of history and cosmology, it faces climate change now'

Time of India

06-07-2025

Emiko Ohnuki-Tiernay, Professor of Anthropology at the University of Wisconsin- Madison.
Emiko Ohnuki-Tiernay is
William F. Vilas
Professor of Anthropology at the University of Wisconsin-
Madison
. She tells Srijana Mitra Das at TE about
rice
, crisis — and stability — in
Japan
:
Connecting to Emiko
OhnukiTiernay
is a little surprising because the professor is sitting against a backdrop of billowing breezes over a shimmery blue ocean, framed by swaying palms. Yet, we are discussing a nation known for its snowy peaks, cherry blossom trees — and rice.
Hence, TE began by asking OhnukiTiernay about her research. She replied, 'The first period of my anthropological work was on the Sakhalin Ainu, so-called huntergatherers. Later, my work turned towards emphasising what I call 'symbolic meanings' rather than quantitative economic values, etc. I work on cultural meanings for Japan and study the historicisation of culture as you cannot understand periods of Japanese society without understanding historical processes. So, my work is now about symbolic cultural values and meanings and a historicisation of culture.'
Rice plays a role in both. Why is it so significant in Japan? Ohnuki-Tiernay explains, 'Major grains often became the symbol of collective identities of people. As I've written, both Germany and Russia adopted wheat as a symbol.'
There is an important distinction in the world of signs though — the anthropologist tells TE, 'There is a history of meat versus plant emphasis in food which mirrors a difference. In the West, the king as hunter is an important concept. So, Versailles and other palaces in France were situated next to an imperial forest for the king to showcase his power by hunting a wild animal, which he'd then distribute to his subjects. In Japan, hunting never took that kind of cultural, symbolic or economic value. Instead, as wet rice agriculture began around the end of the 9 th century BC, rice became a very important part of society — and the foundation of the imperial system. Instead of being the supreme hunter, the Japanese emperor's role was to oversee a stable climate for agriculture.
Even when the imperial system lost power and a warrior class took over, it was the exclusive right of the Emperor to oversee rice rituals — the most powerful shogun could not take over that role. That is the historical overview of how rice became important and carried quantitative value. Today, although the Japanese have become much more affluent, meals still have rice. That symbolic value continues.'
Rice remains a powerful reminder to Japanese society of the stability it cherishes. In recent months, Japan has undergone a rice crisis, with shortages in supply, growing demand and sky-rocketing prices, leading to imports. The atmosphere was so tense, a joke — the former farm minister, jested he was gifted so much rice, he didn't have to buy any — cost a politico his job.
This wasn't the first time rice stirred up heated passions. As Ohnuki-Tiernay recounts, 'Japan's government tried to prohibit imports but in 1993,
Bill Clinton
pushed for the opening of the rice market. Even those who paid more for rice tried to prevent that, although finally, every political party yielded.' The moment carried some bitterness as some in Japan felt the nation had been forced into importing rice different from its own varieties.
This passion can be traced back to the role rice plays in Japanese cosmology. As elaborated, 'The origin of rice was, of course, the middle stream of the Yangtze River. That went to Korea and the Koreans brought wet rice agriculture to Japan — however, the imperial household had to invent how rice originated in Japan itself. So, the Kojiki, an 8 th century chronicle of history and myths, states how rice came from the stomach of the deity of food.
For the Japanese, the stomach is a very vital part of the body and thus, rice became extremely important — every single grain is supposed to house the soul of deities. Thus, rice became sacred and a symbol of Japanese collective identity.'
Today, with growing urbanisation overshadowing traditional fields, and globalisation bringing bread and pasta to Japanese tables, rice faces challenges. Perhaps the greatest though is climate change, with its shifting of water and temperature. As Ohnuki-Tiernay says, 'In 1993, Japan experienced a rice crisis because of changing climate. Until recently, the Japanese government was in charge of rice supplies — some years, it even subsidised farmers to not produce anything, so prices would stay stable.
That system is under pressure now — with climate change, the government is strained on how to manage rice. Most Japanese families once had a favourite local rice supplier but today, to what extent they can offer quantities is linked to environmental changes,' Ohnuki-Tiernay adds, with a characteristic enigmatic tone, 'Rice remains of enormous cultural significance. So, we will see.'
Other countries, like China and India, also consume rice as a staple. Why is Japan's use of it, in ideas and identity, so different? The anthropologist replies, 'Japan is the only country which relies only on rice as a staple. India has wheat and rice and so does China — Chinese dumplings are important. India and China therefore have two major sources of staples — in Japan, it's only rice.'
A symbol can symbolise both belonging — and strain. TE asks Ohnuki-Tiernay if, as rice grown in Japan undergoes challenges, whether this has meaning for Japanese identity? She replies, 'It's interesting how collective identity evolves facing pressure from others. For example, the plum blossom was first a symbol liked by Japanese aristocrats who embraced it as part of their aesthetics.
But when the Chinese, for whom plum blossoms were symbolically key, started becoming a dominant other, the nobles chose cherry blossoms — a deity is thus supposed to come down on the petals of the cherry blossom to rice paddies. Again, if there are pressures to fortify the collective identity of the Japanese, we will see to what extent rice plays a dominant role.' The anthropologist leaves us thinking of her words, against the backdrop of a glorious Hawaiian isle where, too, rice is a loved dish.