ABSTRACT
This chapter examines the way Kunio Yanagita’s theory of agro-politics developed in response to the change in social and political circumstances, and led to his interest in regional studies. It examines the development of Yanagi-ta’s theory of agro-politics and regional reform to the point where his rationale for embarking on extensive ethnographic research becomes clear. The chapter explores how Yanagita’s thoughts on regional reform led him to a much broader area of study which became known as Yanagita Ethnography. Yanagita explains that the ultimate aim of this research is ‘to provide explanations as to why the farmers of Japan have come to live in the way they do in our time’. Yanagita’s theory is characterized by the breadth of its scope and the originality of viewpoint. It was based not only on an extensive understanding of the existing situation, but it also incorporated a far-reaching vision of the effects the shortcomings of current policies would have in Japan’s future.
