New vocabulary lesson on animals and I want to introduce you to one animal, just one, that I particularly like: the deer. This course will therefore focus on cervids. If you follow the program, you already know how the words "deer" and "fawn" are said and written in Japanese. If you are content with vocabulary lessons, this is an opportunity to discover new words.
Nothing difficult. Few new kanji. 21 words to learn.
Note that most of the words have a purely Japanese pronunciation but I have transcribed these pronunciations in katakana because that is often how they are written in the absence of using kanji.
Following these vocabulary words, I will give you a short presentation on the forests in Japan, the symbolism of the sika deer and Nara Park, famous for its thousands of deer and the figure of the deer in Japanese pop culture. Finally, we will finish with some explanations of a few words from the list.
鹿 .
シカ
. the deer
日本鹿 .
ニホンジカ
. the sika deer
赤鹿 .
アカシカ
. the red deer
ミュール鹿 .
ミュールジカ
. the mule deer
尾白鹿 .
オジロジカ
. the white-tailed deer
前髪鹿 .
マエガミジカ
. the crested deer
カリブー
. the reindeer, the caribou
馴鹿 .
トナカイ
. the reindeer, the caribou (is most often written in katakana)
ワピチ
. the wapiti; the elk
サンバー
. the sambar
アクシス鹿 .
アクシスジカ
. the axis deer
アンデスの鹿 / アンデス鹿 .
アンデスののシカ / アンデスジカ
. the Andean deer
カラミア鹿 .
カラミアジカ
. the Calamian deer
口白鹿 .
クチジロジカ
. the white-lipped deer
獐鹿 .
ノロジカ
. the European roe deer
シベリア獐鹿 .
シベリアノロジカ
. the Siberian roe deer; the Asian roe deer
牡鹿 .
オジカ
. the fawn, the fallow deer
ダマ鹿 .
ダマジカ
. the fallow deer
子鹿 / 小鹿 .
コジカ
. the fawn
雌鹿 .
メジカ
. the doe, the hind
メガロケロス
. the megaloceros
Before talking in more detail about sika deer, I must first explain to you the situation of the forest landscape in Japan. Because among all the things the Japanese have nothing to be ashamed of, there is the protection of their forests. In a culture bathed in the heart of an animist religion (Shintoism), everything that constitutes the plant and animal kingdom is of capital importance. So, from a simple blade of grass to the highest mountain, including trees, plants, flowers, moss, lakes, rivers, puddles... and of course animals, all these elements occupy an important, primordial place in Japanese culture, and it has been like this for centuries.
After the defeat in World War II, Japan, under American occupation, became a parliamentary monarchy. However, the country is recovering little by little, with the help of the United States which, as in Europe, is promoting the rapid reconstruction of the former belligerents to prevent communism from triumphing there. This reconstruction involves a westernization that some will say is forced, characterized by the gradual but rapid emergence of modern infrastructures: skyscrapers, factories, shopping centers, parking lots, metro lines, roads and highways are transforming the Japanese landscape. In order to create more housing and infrastructure, hectares of forests are sacrificed for the benefit of the industrialization of the country. From wooded areas in the heart of the countryside, new towns are emerging and the natural habitat of a good number of animals is then threatened.
And yet Japan remains one of the countries with forest cover covering at least 67% of its land. A record for one of the most densely populated countries. The two industrialized nations with such vast forest cover remain Finland and Sweden (with demographics respectively around 4.5% and 6% of that of Japan.) Conclusion, there is no industrialized country except Japan where forests cover more than 50% of the land area. An absolutely exceptional case.
Long and thin, the Japanese archipelago stretches from north to south over 3,000 km. This creates conditions for a very wide range of species, ranging from coniferous forests in the north, to deciduous forests further south, then evergreen broadleaves, and finally to mangrove swamps in the subtropical south. Forest types are also dependent on human activity. In the past, the villager cut his firewood and cleared the foothills of the hills which he occupied and which would later become afforestation sites. But there are still vast natural forests in some deep mountain regions.
In addition, within a specific forest, trees also have many varieties, and their appearance can vary with the seasons. In autumn, as poets know, forests of deciduous species are adorned with a prodigiously rich palette of colors.
The forests of Japan are unique in the world in this respect, and we can rightly consider the entire country as a vast arboretum, a dendrological museum.
There are several reasons why the Japanese have devoted so much effort to preserving their forest cover. The natural environment and topography are the main operating causes here: its monsoon, humid and temperate climate is ideal for tree growth, while the steep mountain slopes have always created an obstacle to development and land use planning, i.e. deforestation. How many times in the past have wild cuts carried out on these steep slopes not caused, almost every year, floods, or landslides? Also, residents have learned, through disasters, how important it is to preserve these wooded lands.
Other factor: most cultivated land consists of rice fields. Throughout the centuries, farmers, as well as local authorities, exercised the greatest care in preserving the tree cover because they were quick to realize that the water essential for irrigating the rice fields was flowing from highlands below the trees.
Let’s add to these physical factors the Shinto beliefs introducing forests, trees, lakes, rivers and other natural elements as sacred places, welcoming the kami, the yokais or constituting their home. Thus, even despite the progression of urban spaces over natural spaces, the animist beliefs inscribed for centuries in the minds of the Japanese have pushed these people to preserve their forests.
Thus, the Japanese have long understood perfectly how forests are essential to human life and activities. And from this knowledge was born the desire to preserve and improve wooded areas to continue to benefit from the gifts of nature generation after generation. The lumberjack designed techniques that avoided waste when felling trees, while the meticulous carpenter learned to choose the right piece of wood he needed to build a house, the cabinetmaker to shape everyday objects. Everyone knew how important it was to use wood at rates compatible with forest growth. And do I need to mention the dozens of gardens and parks that run through the archipelago, mingling quietly between the buildings, skyscrapers, and traditional wooden buildings? We have already talked about this in a previous lesson.
And yet, there is at least one park that you must know: Nara Park.
Once the capital of Japan in the 8th century, Nara is still home to many fascinating temples and ruins to explore. Even today, the city is known for being home to Tôdai-ji (東大寺), the largest wooden Buddhist temple in the world. But its other particularity is to shelter more than a thousand deer which roam freely throughout the region. The city’s mascots, the deer are the city’s star attraction. Tourists and locals alike take a few souvenir photos of these affectionate herbivores. Affectionate as long as you don’t bother them!
Native to East Asia, but especially present in Japan, the sika deer takes its name from the Japanese word for « deer », (鹿 . シカ). What is unique about this species is that it does not lose its spots with age, although these spots are almost invisible. In addition to their sacred association with Nara Shrine, deer feature heavily in Japanese mythology and some folk tales, where they were often considered divine messengers of Shinto gods. Many place names refer to deer, such as Kagoshima, 鹿児島 . かごしま (« the deer island »). Deer were so revered that killing them was considered an offense to the gods and was punishable by death.
A highly respected animal in Japan, a sacred and major figure in Shinto beliefs, it symbolizes purity and it was asked to respectfully greet the deer that one encountered on its way. It is said that this animal always brings auspicious messages and that it then promotes luck. The sika is also the personification of autumn. In art, we often see it associated with trees and maple leaves, the symbol of this season in Japan. In the same way, the deer accompanies the Taoist god Jurôjin (寿老人 . ジュロウジン). The latter also symbolizes autumn and longevity and we see him represented holding a maple leaf in his hand.
One of the sites in Nara is the Kasuga Taisha Shrine (春日大社), dedicated to a deity who is said to have arrived in Nara riding a sacred deer. As a result, deer were considered divine attributes and protectors of the city, and were treated accordingly. Even today, deer have a special status and are considered « natural monuments » in Nara. They are so much a part of the landscape that it is impossible to imagine the setting without them.
The sika deer are under the protection of a Foundation responsible for ensuring their well-being but also responsible for ensuring the protection of tourists. It has already happened that the latter find themselves injured by the antlers of male deer but fortunately these incidents remain rare and without serious consequences. Moreover, an annual event is held in Nara between the end of October and the beginning of November, the shika no kakukiri (鹿の角切り, cutting of deer antlers). The goal is to catch the deer by their antlers using ropes and cut them off. Do not panic, the woods are growing back. This event has been held since the 17th century so that deer roaming free in Nara cannot harm locals or tourists. A traditional antler cutting ceremony that originated during the Edo period (1603-1868).
The Foundation is also responsible for making « deer biscuits » or « deer treats » called 鹿煎餅 . シカセンベイ. They are safe for deer to eat, unlike other human foods. Vendors around Nara sell these cookies and part of the profits are donated to deer protection. But be careful: once you have the treats in hand, you risk being followed by deer curtseying to you in the hope of impressing you enough to have a bite!
Finally, when a fawn is born, it is placed safely in an enclosure with all the young deer and newborns until they are released into the park. This event is called 子鹿公開 / 小鹿公開 . コジカコウカイ (the presentation of the fawns).
How can we talk about deer without mentioning their influence in Japanese pop culture? The deer is far from being the most represented animal, the Japanese are much more fond of kaimen rider, baseball, cosplay, J-Pop, big robots, magical girls, and stories of young teenagers starting from nothing and working hard to achieve their dream (nekketsu). And yet, I have only scratched the surface of a small percentage of everything that constitutes the pop culture of the Land of the Rising Sun. On the animal side, dogs and cats, much closer to humans, are more represented without forgetting tanukis and foxes.
However, even the deer have managed to carve out a little space for themselves. Thus, in the film "Princess Mononoke", the mount of Ashitaka, the main character, is defined as a mix between a deer and an ibex; in the same film, the entity that represents Nature is a deer god; in the game Elden Ring from FromSoftware and in the Zelda games BOTW and TOTK from Nintendo, the player can have a deer as a mount; most pokemon are inspired by deer, in the Beastars manga the main character’s best friend is a deer.
In Japan, the word 日本鹿 . ニホンジカ (the sika deer) refers to the species of deer endemic to Japan and the word 鹿 . シカ (the deer) refers to the animal in general, all subspecies combined. The sika deer was introduced to Europe during the Meiji era in the 19th century on the initiative of the Emperor.
In the West, there are different names to describe most deer. Thus, reindeer and caribu are in fact one and the same species of deer. The word "caribu" is of Native American origin and is mainly used in Canada. The word "reindeer" is used in the rest of the West to describe the same animal. The word "wapiti / elk" also designates a species of herbivorous mammals of the deer family and is distinguished from sambar and wapiti / elk or moose, even if it is common to use these five words indiscriminately to describe a deer.
In Japanese, there are words specific to this language to designate deer and other cervids such as 鹿 . シカ (the deer, the doe), 大鹿 . オオジカ (the moose, the wapiti / elk), 箆鹿 . ヘラジカ (the elk, the moose) and 馴鹿 . トナカイ (the reindeer, the caribou). But the Japanese have also used Western words to designate these same species of deer with greater precision: カリブー (the reindeer, the caribou), ワピチ (the wapiti / elk), サンバー (the sambar).
The sambar, elk and moose are among the largest deer in the world.
The word 赤鹿 . アカシカ (the red deer) refers to a large deer from the temperate forests of Europe, North Africa, Western Asia and America.
The word 尾白鹿 . オジロジカ (the white-tailed deer) comes from the English and designates a species of deer present mainly in Guyana, Louisiana and in French-speaking Canadian regions.
The word アクシス鹿 . アクシスジカ (the axis deer) refers to a species of deer mainly found in India and Sri Lanka. It has been introduced to Central Europe, former Yugoslavia, Australia, Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay, Texas, and Hawaii.
The word 前髪鹿 . マエガミジカ (the crested deer) refers to a species of deer whose antlers are only a few centimeters long and are hidden by the long hairs on the top of its skull, hence its name.
The word 口白鹿 . クチジロジカ (the white-nosed deer) refers to a species of deer with a brown coat and white muzzle, hence its name. Also called Thorold’s deer.
The word メガロケロス (megaloceros) is a vernacular word designating the ancestor of current deer, much larger and more imposing, rightly described as a giant deer. This word has no kanji version.
Whoa! Casually, deer are a vast subject. There was a lot to say and I think I covered the subject while making the whole thing digestible and exciting enough, I hope. Once again, you will find a good part of this vocabulary in the exercises before the start of the third season, so I am counting on you to be studious.
Work hard.
Introduction