Ichimon Japan Podcasts

Are rabbits counted as birds because eating meat was taboo in japan? (About the History of Meat “Bans” & the Counter -wa)) | Ichimon Japan 41

By Tony R. Vega

Posted on April 7, 2021

12 min read

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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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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.

Here is the video referenced in this episode in which someone proposes counting rabbits with –usa.

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.

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

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 ichimon@japankyo.com.