Reforestation in Tohoku

The Green Tide Embankment Project:
Reforestation and Religion in Japan

by Maria Celeste Castillo

Over a cement wall on the coast of Iwanuma City in north-east Japan, the ocean looked serene.
On this peaceful sunny day in May 2017, it was hard to imagine the violent tsunami that devastated the Great East Japan Earthquake on March 2011.

Here on the memorial grounds of the earthquake, a tree planting day was taking place as part of the Green Tide Embankment Project. High schoolers, company members, foreign exchange students from the local university, professors, local community members and myself, came to participate.

We began our morning by planting saplings along roads on the memorial grounds. There were 20 different types of trees. These included broad-leaf evergreen trees native to the Japan. We planted 3 seedlings in a square meter area. Then, we covered them with straw to protect them from cold and weeds, and to retain moisture. The place was busy with smiles and the smell of dirt and hay. Every sapling was an expression of hope, planted with pride, care, and a sense of duty. I was able to plant about 16 trees that day, with most people planting more than 10, totaling about 30,000 trees. For the past 6 years after the 2011 disaster, there have been 1 or 2 tree planting events each year.

The Green Tide Embankment Project seeks to create protective barriers along the Japanese coast using strategically placed native trees. This project is rooted in the the ideas of Botanist Professor Akira Miyawaki. He has led reforestation projects around the world. Japan is an island plagued by natural disasters. Dr. Miyawaki has carefully observed the forests and noticed the protection native trees can provide. Through Japan’s history, native forests have been replaced with pine for logging and farmland. Pine trees, with their shallow roots and tall bare trunks do not fare well against Japans violent storms. In 2011, during the Great East Japan Earthquake, the pine trees were rapidly uprooted with the water, increasing devastation. Yet, there were areas of native trees that could be seen intact, like tabunoki and masaki trees. Native trees, with their deep roots, variation in height, and dense branches and leaves, created strong large barriers. The Green Tide Embankment Project not only seeks to provide protection, but also to provide a sacred space. Native forests have a deep connection to religion in Japan. Japan has two main religions, Shintoism and Buddhism, and they both share different perspectives on forests.

In Shintoism, there are hundreds of divinities found in nature, particularly in large ancient trees and dense forests. Traditionally, when natural forests where cleared for farmland in Japan, a small shrine was erected in an area where the forest was preserved, to pay respects to the local Gods. Shrines were also erected in places where very large trees grew. This vegetation surrounding shrines is called shinju-no-mori. Restoring forests and green spaces, especially in cities, provides spiritual places of worship and gathering in Japanese society as it is believed to be home to gods.

Buddhist philosophy emphasizes the connection, and continuation, of everything. Doryu Hiroki is a Buddhist monk in Sendai leading the effort of the Green Tide Embankment Project, and other tree planting projects in Japan. Doryu is president of the Rinnoji Temple which has a forest of over 30,000 trees made up of 62 native species. The first time I visited his temple in Sendai, I stood at the entrance enchanted by a long stone stairway surrounded by a lush forest on both sides, leading to the beautiful temple in the distance. Doryu has worked with botanists in Japan to study the genes of trees in each region, and plant trees with the precise genes corresponding to the local environment. In order for planted trees to thrive, they must be planted in the specific region they evolved in, with other corresponding plants of the region. Here, Biology meets Buddhism, as the genes in the trees reflect all beings’ connection in time and space. In his paper about Zen and tree planting activities, Doryu describes that taking care of your surroundings, is like taking care of yourself. He claims that our existence is by chance, but we are all connected since the beginning of time. By planting native trees, we restore this balance and connection in our communities.

Reforestation efforts continue to connect a community that is still suffering greatly. Through planting trees, a local ecosystem is being healed and restored. All the while providing a beautiful community space protecting human life, prosperity, and the hearts of people in north -eastern Japan.

References

Doryu, H. (2019, March 8). Personal Interview

Doryu, H. (2018) 禅的思考と植樹活動 J. Seizon and Life Science Vol. 28-2, 2018. 3, pp 53-63.