Salt Harvesting in Agehama Method

In 1868, the Meiji Restoration signaled the conclusion of feudalism and the beginning of a period of modernization inspired by Western examples. This period saw significant changes in society and the economy, the end of the clan's exclusive control over salt production, and the adoption of new policies and technologies, leading to a significant decrease in the traditional salt production in the Noto Peninsula. With the emergence of new job opportunities offering diverse life paths, former salt producers shifted to other sectors, and salt terraces became a thing of the past. When a new phase of modernization in the salt industry, initiated by the central government in 1958, posed a threat to the traditional way of making salt, the local government of Suzu City in Ishikawa Prefecture stepped in to provide financial support to the families still engaged in this cultural tradition. Over time, only one family persisted. Recognizing its cultural and tourism significance, the agehama-style salt making technique was officially recognized as an intangible cultural heritage of Ishikawa Prefecture in 1992 and as a national intangible cultural heritage by the Culture Agency in 2008, sparking recent efforts to revive these traditional methods. Today, agehama-style salt making in Noto not only reflects the historical aspects of salt production but also serves as a way to pass down the traditional knowledge and practices essential for its continuation. This includes the architectural aspects, equipment, and production methods associated with salt making. While many of the tools and materials have remained unchanged for centuries, others have been modernized for comfort and efficiency. The artisanal skills required to create these tools and construct ovens using age-old techniques are at risk of being lost. Agehama-style salt makers also hold a wealth of experiential and traditional knowledge about their natural surroundings, covering aspects of land and marine ecosystem management. This knowledge ranges from the salt makers' well-known skill in predicting the weather by observing cloud patterns and sea currents to their practical understanding of the state and changes in marine ecosystems and resources. Although salt makers now often use inexpensive wood waste from construction sites as fuel, historically, the production of salt was closely linked to inland areas through the supply of fuel wood, with salt makers owning and managing forest areas to ensure a sustainable wood supply. The step-by-step method of making salt at Agehama showcases this web of connections as it aims to cut down on energy use by utilizing both human and natural elements to create a highly concentrated brine solution before it's boiled. This approach to sustainable use of land and resources at a broader scale transforms salt fields into more than just places that produce salt. They could play a role in pioneering new strategies for conserving and utilizing resources, like ‘satoumi’, a new idea that recognizes socio- ecological production landscapes along the coast, managed for the benefits they offer to the environment. The lingering question is how to combine the insights from these distinct cultural landscapes, which have evolved as a part of salt's intricate journey through Japan's culture and history — with scientific understanding to create models for resource management that either preserve or improve the natural characteristics of the landscape.

S.K.S.C.NADARAJAN & BROR.
Tuticorin Salt | crystal salt | crushed salt | relish freeflow salt | fine salt | coarse salt | size salt | Salt supplier | Kerala salt supplier | South indian salt export | South India salt company | thoothukudi saltern | Tuticorin saltern | deicing salt exporter | deicing salt tuticorin | Thoothukudi salt exporter | Thoothukudi traditional salt | Sea salt tuticorin | Sea salt Thoothukudi | Thoothukudi salt | India salt exporter tuticorin | salt Thoothukudi India | SKSC salt Tamil nadu | India old salt company | Salt company India | Salt company tamil nadu | Salt company Tuticorin | Tamil nadu Salt | India Salt | powder salt | natural salt india | Best salt company in south india | Salt seller Tuticorin | Salt seller in tamil nadu thoothukudi | retail table salt | common salt manufacturer | desalination salt | Salt for soap industry | Salt for dye industry | Salt for water softening