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Abstract

This thesis traces the presence, persistence, and potential revival of traditional ecological practices in Sakuecho, Aichi Prefecture, Japan, a rural community attuned to the land and seasonal rhythms. It is guided by four central questions: whether such practices remain, what they are, how they have been maintained or lost, and whether dormant ones might be reawakened. The research draws on a relational, emergent auto-ethnographical approach to interviews with elders and community members, alongside field observations that unfold through shared stories, seasonal cycles, and embodied experience. Local narratives, oral histories, and archival records further anchor the inquiry. Findings reveal that while some ecological practices continue to shape daily and seasonal life, others have faded under the weight of socio-economic shifts, generational change, and external pressures. Yet traces of dormant knowledge, namely charcoal production and coppicing, remain embedded in memory and landscape, intimately tied to seasonal rituals. These practices, once central to village life, now linger as fragments in oral recollection and physical remnants in the forest. The research reflects on the fragility of cultural transmission amid demographic decline and shifting values. As village lineages thin and younger generations grow distant from ancestral traditions, the study considers the possibilities that remain, those held in memory, ritual, and the land itself. These reflections suggest that cultural continuity may yet be nurtured through relational practices and renewed attentiveness to place. Central to this thesis is an argument for kinship, not only with the land and seasons, but with community, memory, and more-than-human relations. It resists academic structures that often fragment, abstract, or alienate place-based knowledge. By documenting and interpreting these practices through a relational lens, the thesis contributes to broader conversations on cultural resilience, ecological stewardship, and the quiet, enduring power of knowledge rooted in belonging.