ABSTRACT
The Japanese Archipelago is a long island chain, extending almost 20 degrees in latitude (from 25 to 45 degrees north) and 25 degrees in longitude (from 122 to 145 east). This north–south and east–west extension provide a complicated and interesting context for comparing star lore within the archipelago, but there have been surprisingly few discussions of star lore and ethnoastronomy among Japanese populations. In this chapter, I will investigate this unexplored field of Japanese cultural history by examining vernacular star names and the practical use of star lore by farmers, fishermen, mariners, and others. I will also discuss folk beliefs of stars, such as the Big Dipper, the Orion, Polaris, and so on.
