“Lake Biwa and Climate Change”, an original theme for HELP in SHIGA
Lake Biwa has supported the lives and nurtured the culture of Shiga Prefecture.In fact, its birth is believed to be 4 million years ago, making it one of only about 20 ancient lakes in the world.Lake Biwa, with its long history, is home to a wide variety of living creatures, including endemic species.
The people of Shiga Prefecture, which is home to Lake Biwa, have been living in harmony with nature and nurtured a rich and sustainable culture.
Take, for example, the traditional fishing method of "eri fishing" in Lake Biwa, which has been practiced for more than 1,000 years since the Heian period.This is a waiting style of fishing that utilizes the habit of fish to swim along obstacles when they encounter them, and prevents overfishing by catching fish only when they have entered an area called a "jar”.
The people of Shiga have carefully used the bounty of Lake Biwa to develop various traditions and cultures. These ancient practices have been recognized by the United Nations as the "Lake Biwa System" (World Agricultural Heritage) and by the Agency for Cultural Affairs as the "Culture of Water and Food" (Japan Heritage).
In recent years, however, the situation surrounding Lake Biwa has changed drastically, with the impact of lakeshore construction, the invasion of alien species, the massive overgrowth of water weeds, changes in water quality and lifestyle, and the degradation of surrounding forests. In addition, signs of climate change, such as extreme changes in temperature and precipitation patterns, have been observed in the prefecture, and it is expected that the impact of climate change will increase in the future.For the blessings of Lake Biwa, which have continued for 1000 years, to continue for the next 1000 years. We hope that this exhibition will provide an opportunity to learn about the past and the present, and think about the future.
On Sunday, August 11, we will organize a talk event with the original theme of the HELP Exhibition in SHIGA, inviting a variety of guests. We hope this will bring you an opportunity to discover Lake Biwa unlike before. Please come and join us.
DATE: Sunday 11th, August, 14:00 -15:40 Capacity: 50 people Guests: Shin-ichi Nakano, The Director of the Center for Ecological Research, Kyoto University. Tatsuya Komai, Executive Director of Fisher Architect. Representative of the Executive Committee for BIWAKO artist-in-residence Seiji Komatsu, a Lao cuisine chef. Nozomi Oshita, A student of Ritsumeikan University
The Director of the Center for Ecological Research, Kyoto University. Professor of South Ehime Fisheries Research Center, Ehime University. He focuses on microbiological processes in aquatic ecosystems and elucidates the structure and function (material cycle) of microbial loops. The water bodies under study are lakes, coastal oceans, and rivers. In lakes and coastal oceans, he focuses on the food web of plankton and studies the ecology of phytoplankton and the food web of bacteria, microalgae, and protozoa. In rivers, his research on microbial food webs focused mainly on attached microorganisms. Received the 17th Biwako Prize for Ecology.
Executive Director of Fisher Architect. Representative of the Executive Committee for BIWAKO artist-in-residence. A member of Fisheries Cooperative Association of Shiga-machi. Born in Shiga, 1992. After graduating from the University of Shiga Prefecture with a degree in Environmental Architecture and Design and graduate school, he apprenticed himself to a fisherman in Lake Biwa and became independent in 2020. Under the philosophy of "delivering freshwater life from inside Lake Biwa," he produces, sells, and provides fishing experience for about 30 species of lake fish based on the traditional fishing method of “eri fishing” in Lake Biwa as a fisherman, and accepts several trainees from fishermen.
In addition, he is also involved in the planning and operation of the BIWAKO Artist-in-Residence, an event to compare natural eels from all over Japan, and the transmission of audio media for learning about the connection between people and nature from a variety of perspectives, in order to convey the charm of living in Lake Biwa.