On this episode of Ichimon Japan we ask: Are rabbits counted as birds because eating meat was taboo in Japan?

Topics Discussed

• The practice of counting rabbits as if they were birds in Japanese
• Whether Japanese people eat meat
• What exactly qualifies as meat
• The history of meats "bans" in Japan
• The hypocritical and dubious nature of meat "bans" in Japan
• What the earliest written Japanese records say about meat consumption in Japan
• The influence Buddhism had on the practice of eating meat in early Japanese history
• The declaration by Emperor Tenmu in April of 675 AD that prohibited people from eating meat in Japan
• How the consumption of wild game was tacitly permitted throughout much of Japanese history
• A description of a Heian era feast involving bear paws and rabbit spleens
• Possible penalties faced by those who ate meet
• Having to fast for eating meat
• The arrival of the Portuguese in Japan and the hard time they supposedly had adjusting to the Japanese diet
• The Tokugawa's promotion of Buddhist culture and ideas
• Meat bans and meat eating during the Edo Period
• Shops in Edo that sold the meat of wild game
• The discrimination faced by people who slaughtered animals and tanned hides
• Consuming meat for medicinal purposes
• How meat consumption was looked at in a much more positive light during the Meiji Period
• An incident in 1872 in which Buddhist priests broke into the Imperial Palace due to opposing the Emperor's promotion of meat consumption
• The death of the historical Buddha
• The counter system in Japanese
• What the Japanese counter -hiki (匹)is usually used for
• What the Japanese counter -tō (頭) is usually used for
• The supposed "correct" way to count rabbits in Japanese
• Various theories about why -wa, the counter that is normally used to count birds, is supposed to be used to count rabbits as well
• The rabbits are counted using -wa because their ears resemble wings theory
• The similar flavor and net theory
• A theory that says that -wa is supposed to be used to count rabbits because of the kanji used to write rabbit in Japanese
• The theory that people decided to count rabbits in the same way they count birds because they wanted to create a loophole in order to get away with eating meat
• An atypical reading of the kanji for rabbit
• How butterflies are counted using the same counter used for livestock in Japanese
• And much more!

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• Support on Patreon

Sources, Links, Videos, Etc.

For mroe information about Japan's relationship with so-called meat bans, you can check out the article below. This is the one that was found on the Kikkoman website.

• • Removal of the Ban on Meat: The Meat-Eating Culture of Japan at the Beginning of Westernization (Dr. Zenjiro Watanabe)

Here is another English-language reference.

• Why Eating Meat Was Banned in Japan for Centuries

Here are some of the Japanese-language articles used as sources for this episode.

• 肉食禁止の歴史
• 第２回　ウサギは鳥の一種？名前と数え方の由来の謎(なぞ)
• うさぎの数え方の謎！「匹」と「羽」どっちが正しいの？由来も併せて紹介！
• なんとなんとｍお以外で不思議な数え方鳥でもないのに、うさぎを「一羽、二羽」と数えるのはなぜ？
• “匹”や“頭”など、動物の助数詞の意味とは？
• 【日本の肉食禁止の歴史】約1200年に渡って肉食が禁止だった理由

To check out the two shirts inspired by today's episode, use the links below. Or you can just go to KimitoDesigns.com. Any purchases from KimitoDesigns.com will support this show.

• Cute & Yummy Rabbit Head Unisex Jersey Short Sleeve T-Shirt Heather Midnight Navy Cute & Yummy Rabbit Head Unisex Jersey Short Sleeve T-Shirt
• Rabbits Are Birds in Japan Unisex Jersey Short Sleeve T-Shirt

Here's some of the Ichimon Japan episodes mentioned in this episode.

• Can sexy things give you anime style nosebleeds? (The Nosebleed Episode) | Ichimon Japan 16
• What’s so scary about the hour of the ox? (About Ushi no Koku Mairi) | Ichimon Japan 21
• What annoys you about living in Japan? (Part 1: Bookstores, Ice Cream Floats, Repetitive Language, & More) | Ichimon Japan 33
• What annoys you about living in Japan? (Part 2: Chinese Names, Short Sleeves, Bears, & More) | Ichimon Japan 34

Don't forget to check out the latest episode of the Japan Station podcast.

• The Truth About “Washoku”: Addressing Japanese Cuisine and Washoku’s UNESCO Classification (Dr. Katarzyna Cwiertka) | Japan Station 63

Japanese Vocabulary List

Most episodes feature at least one or two interesting Japanese words or phrases. Here’s some of the ones that came up on this episode. All information is from Jim Breen's WWWJDIC.

• Usagi
  • うさぎ (n) rabbit; hare; coney; cony; lagomorph (esp. leporids)
• Hane, -wa, u
  •  
  • 羽 : 羽(P); 羽根(P) 【はね(P); は(羽)】 (n) (1) feather; plume; down; (n) (2) wing; (n) (3) (羽根 only) blade (of a fan, propeller, etc.); (n) (4) (はね only) (See シャトル・1) shuttlecock (in badminton); (n) (5) (羽根 only) (also written as 羽子) (See 羽子・はご) shuttlecock (in hanetsuki); (n) (6) (羽根 only) (See 矢羽・やばね) arrow feathers; (P); 【わ(P); ば; ぱ】 ; (ctr) counter for birds, rabbits, etc.; (P); 【う】 ; (n) (See 五音) fifth degree (of the Japanese and Chinese pentatonic scale)
• Umō
  • 羽毛 【うもう】 (n,adj-no) feathers; plumage; down
• -hiki
  • 匹 : 匹(P); 疋 【ひき(P); き】 (ctr) (1) (ひき only) counter for small animals; (ctr) (2) counter for rolls of cloth (two han in size); (ctr) (3) (き only) (arch) counter for horses; (n) (4) roll of cloth
• Atama, Kashira, -tō
  • 頭 【あたま(P); かしら(P)】 (n) (1) head; (n) (2) hair (on one's head); (n) (3) (あたま only) mind; brains; intellect; (n) (4) leader; chief; boss; captain; (n) (5) top; tip; (n) (6) beginning; start; (n) (7) (あたま only) (See 頭数) head; person; (n) (8) (あたま only) (abbr) (See 頭金) down payment; deposit; (n) (9) (かしら only) top structural component of a kanji; (n) (10) (あたま only) (col) {mahj} (See 雀頭・ジャントー) pair; (P); 【とう】 ; (ctr) counter for large animals (e.g. head of cattle); counter for insects in a collection; counter for helmets, masks, etc.

We Want Your Questions

Is there something about Japan that confuses you? Is there something about Japanese culture that you would like to learn more about? Is there something in Japanese history that you would like us to explain? We're always looking for new questions about Japan to answer, so if you have one, please send it to [email protected].

Special Thanks

Opening/Closing Theme: Produced by Apol (YouTube, Twitter, Facebook, Fiverr)

Ichimon Japan cover art: Produced by Erik R.

Illustration in featured image: By Rhama based on concept by Tony Vega

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Full Show Notes

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