Japanese Poems with Strong Nature Themes as a Tool for Environmental Education

Abstract

Traditional Japanese poems with strong nature themes are still very relevant today as relatable statements of environmental consciousness and the value and appreciation of nature, and can be a useful tool for environmental education. This paper is a brief study of various aspects and elements of these poems, particularly the related aesthetic and philosophical perspectives of wabi-sabi and Zen Buddhism and the importance of nature and season, with the goal of developing greater appreciation for their relevance and communicative power. To illustrate these concepts, related but otherwise independent poems are presented in several coherent groupings and analyzed with regard to wabi-sabi /Zen terms, season terms, and additional nature terms. Wabi-sabi is one of the core concepts and defining perspectives of Japanese culture, has its roots in the Zen perspective, and exemplifies many of the core tenets of Zen. The wabi-sabi and Zen perspectives in Japanese poetry with particularly strong environmental themes provide a vehicle for environmental communication with great emotive power. National and international government agencies, non-governmental organizations, and institutions of higher education have all created or hosted online haiku pages to facilitate their environmental education missions. In particular, the universal appeal, timelessness, and nature-focus of the wabi-sabi and Zen perspectives contribute to the continued relevance of these poems to developing environmental awareness and addressing contemporary concerns about the environment, including the intractable problem of climate change, the solution to which is unlikely to be found in the same technoscientific paradigm that created it.