Kuni: A Japanese Vision and Practice for Urban-Rural Reconnection

by Tsuyoshi Sekihara, Richard McCarthy, Kathleen Finlay (Foreword)

“Reading Kuni makes me want to dive into rural Japan...this book reminds me that leaders emerge when and where you least expect it.”
— ALICE WATERS, founder of Chez Panisse restaurant, activist, and author

A guide to reviving and revitalizing forgotten places and communities through the Japanese principles of kuni

Kuni offers a unique model for the revitalization of rural and deindustrialized lands and communities--and shares lessons in citizen-led regeneration for all of us, regardless of where we live.

“Kuni” is both a reimagining of the Japanese word for nation and an approach to reviving communities. It shows what happens when dedicated people band together and invest their hearts, minds, and souls back into a community, modeling a new way of living that actually works. A kuni can be created anywhere--even a hamlet on the verge of extinction--and embodies 7 key
Everyone is equal in a kuniKuni is equipped with a Regional Management Organization--a democratic organization that takes care of small public servicesKuni is a link between residents and repeat visitorsLife in a kuni is circular--consumption and production are in balanceKuni embraces the whole personKuni can be a place for young people who seek interconnectednessThe time for kuni is now
Kuni offers a compelling vision of regenerative relationships that can take root in the United States--and anywhere. With spare and beautiful prose and useful principles for reviving rural places, this book addresses our longing for a hopeful revolution of everyday life.

163 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 18, 2022

Reviews

[AB Freeman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Branding this book must have been difficult. In essence, it features the principles and practical components of Sekihara’s establishment of a kuni community in his native region of Niigata, Japan. It also features McCarthy’s cogent reflections on applying the practice within agroecology initiatives within the United States.

That said, if one reads this book only to consider food politics or sustainability practices in community development, they may not encounter the true transformative takeaway. In my opinion, even though there is no indication that Sekihara is a Zen practitioner, his practices clearly appear rooted in the practice of Zen. As such, following a Zen approach in the cultivation and practice of kuni might prove to be paramount. Various quotes throughout the text support this deeper resonance:

The citation of Masanobu Fukuoka’s The One-Straw Revolution: An Introduction to Natural Farming, published in 1975 that “…offers techniques to calibrate our lives into the seasons and pace of the planet.”

“I dealt with the problem in front of me, and then I could see the next step. Then I repeated these steps.” – Sekihara, on the process of creating his kuni from scratch

“Loneliness is an emotion that people start to feel more strongly as they get older. When you are young and nurtured by adults, you are united with the world around you. There is no such thing as solitude. As you get older, detachment begins. You get detached from the world—from your parents, your friends, and your lovers. The process of growing is a process of detaching. When you are detached from everything, you reach complete solitude (emphasis added). This is so important that you can consider it a second birth. No matter how difficult this process is, people are born anew as they embrace complete solitude. Once they reach that stage, people can fundamentally understand others and want to live with others.” – Sekihara, in the chapter “The Future of Kuni”

“Even without the analysis of a scholar, if you ask an elder for tips on how to stay healthy, they usually give the same answer: “I have work to do.” You need to have an active role and you need people who rely on you. You have friends that you can talk to when you have a problem, you are able to spend a lot of time with young people and children, you eat fresh produce with no contaminants, you drink good water, there are seasonal events to attend, you laugh a lot, and you have opportunities to speak with outsiders who stimulate your curiosity. ” – Sekihara, on the “good life”

All these ideas are powerful and align with the realisation that provided Sekihara the courage to embark upon his kuni experiment. He states: “The fog that blocked my vision didn’t allow me to question the system in which I lived. We allowed the system to determine success and failure and did not think about what this meant for ourselves.”

Another shining element in this book is McCarthy’s final chapter, “Confessions of a Place Polygamist,” which features the contextual differences between Sekihara’s decades-long work and the needs of rural communities in the United States. He also discusses the merits of other similar initiatives, with specific emphasis on Italy, where some rural communities have embraced outsiders by opening to outside investment. The parallels are clear.

4 stars. Indeed, this text outlines strategies that farmers and other members of rural communities might take to establish self-sustaining, autonomous communities, especially through McCarthy’s commentary on what he learned from visiting Sekihara’s kuni enclave; however, a reader’s attention to Sekihara’s subtle hinting of spiritual connection to the land, the Self and the Other should not be diminished, particularly as such connection provides support in the process of building the bridges called for throughout the book. An engaging and empowering read.