Legendas (82)
0:07400 years ago, modern-day Tokyo
was known as Edo,
0:12and it was already one
of the biggest cities in the world,
0:15with a population approaching 1 million.
0:19However, it was on the verge
of ecological collapse.
0:23Years of intense logging had led
to massive deforestation.
0:28The city now faced timber shortages
and the impacts of severe erosion
0:34and frequent flooding
that threatened food supplies.
0:38But over just a few decades,
0:40Edo will transform and become
one of the most sustainable
0:44and efficient cities in history.
0:46So, how did this city
that wasted nothing come about?
0:51In 1467, Japan entered a series
of continuous bloody civil wars
0:58that would last over a century.
1:01But in 1600, Tokugawa Ieyasu
defeated his warlord rivals
1:07and unified Japan under his rule.
1:10This marked the beginning
of the Tokugawa shogunate’s reign,
1:14which lasted from 1603 through 1867.
1:19During this time, Ieyasu and the
shoguns who succeeded him
1:23enacted a series of sweeping reforms
1:26that reshaped the country’s economy,
landscape, and culture.
1:31Concerned over the growing influence
of outside powers,
1:35the shoguns imposed severe limitations
on foreign relations.
1:40They banned foreign traders
from entering the country,
1:43and heavily restricted
citizens from leaving.
1:48To make up for the sudden decrease
in imported goods,
1:51the Tokugawa shoguns invested
heavily in increasing internal production
1:56while decreasing consumption and waste.
2:00These practices were not entirely new—
2:03they drew upon the Buddhist
concept of mottainai,
2:06which emphasized not wasting resources
and being satisfied with “just enough.”
2:13Realizing the extent
of ecological destruction
2:16impacting the capital city, Edo,
2:19the Tokugawa shoguns
introduced limitations on logging
2:23and launched sprawling
reforestation programs.
2:27Local villagers were required—
and later paid—
2:30to plant millions of trees.
2:33To curb demands for timber,
strict rationing rules were introduced,
2:37and houses were built with
standardized wooden components
2:41that could be disassembled and reused.
2:45Soon, entire industries grew around
eliminating the city’s waste.
2:50Residents used agricultural byproducts,
like rice straw,
2:54to make rope and packaging material.
2:57Candle wax drippings
were saved and remolded.
3:01Craftsmen repaired old umbrellas and
worn-out sandals rather than tossing them.
3:06Even human waste was collected
and turned into fertilizer.
3:11Within households, families developed
techniques to reuse or repurpose items
3:17rather than discarding them.
3:19Kimonos were continuously mended.
3:22When the fabric was too frayed for repair,
it was used to cover futons,
3:27then cut into diapers or cleaning cloths,
before finally being burned as fuel.
3:34Artisans deftly repaired
ceramics using kintsugi,
3:38where broken pieces
are plastered together,
3:40and the fracture lines brushed
with gold lacquer.
3:44A tradition known as boro developed,
3:47in which fragments of old cloth
were sewn together
3:50to create beautifully patchworked garments
3:52that were then passed down
for generations.
3:56Meanwhile, poetry, theater,
and literature flourished,
4:00as did the study of Chinese Confucianism
and European scientific texts—
4:05which were welcomed in the country
even as their authors were not.
4:10Yet, while the Tokugawa period was marked
by achievements in sustainability and art,
4:15it wasn't without its flaws.
4:18Strict laws and regulations were
enforced by harsh authoritarian rule.
4:23It was a feudal society,
rife with social and economic inequality.
4:27The majority peasant population,
for example,
4:30was forced to pay an often-crippling
rice tax, called nengu,
4:35to regional lords known as daimyo.
4:38And by the second half
of the 19th century,
4:41the country faced rising inflation,
4:43destabilizing its economy
and increasing external pressure,
4:48including the United States’
use of military power.
4:51All of this forced Japan to reopen
its doors to foreign trade and influence,
4:57and ultimately led to the end
of the Tokugawa shogunate's reign.
5:02Despite these challenges, this period
can serve as a powerful lesson.
5:06Edo's transformation from a city teetering
on ecological collapse
5:10to a thriving cultural epicenter
5:13shows us that what’s broken
can be repaired,
5:16and by doing so, we can create
something even more beautiful.
5:20Today, at a time when only 7%
of the global economy is circular,
5:25Edo's history also reminds us
that we can create economies
5:29driven not by consumption and waste,
5:32but rather by making the most
of limited resources.
