Prelude to Hokkaido
“Where to begin?” I find myself asking the same thing when talking about the Hokkaido Project. Archeological evidence suggests that cultivated cannabis has existed for a long period of time in Hokkaido, Japan. Seeds dating to 10,000 BP and cord dating to 7,000 BP propose a deeper Japanese relationship. Japanese cultivation of cannabis may have even played a pivotal role in the prosperity and cultural development of the Jōmon people and early Japan at large. Jōmon actually translates to “cord pattern”, and is in reference to the unique style of pottery seen during this part of Japan’s history. I have yet to find proof that hemp fiber cordage was used to make their iconic pottery, but it would stand to reason that a multifaceted plant like cannabis would have all sorts of uses in ancient societies the world over. For a more detailed dive into the topic, I highly recommend checking out Clarke and Merlin’s Cannabis: Evolution and Ethnobotany. This textbook really helped me connect some anthropological dots when figuring out how long this plant was being utilized in Japan.
It could be argued that in the time of horse travel and during maritime exploration/trade, the fiber, seed, oil, flower, and leafy greens would have been an invaluable resource both for survival and as a trade commodity. For instance, hemp fiber could withstand the cold, harsh Japanese seas, nets and lines made from fiber retted and woven into what was essentially advanced technology at the time. For instance, there is a prized hemp fiber cultivar that is said to produce hemp netting capable of lasting 3 years out at sea. That amount of endurance is almost unfathomable to me.
Imagine horses harnessed with the same fibers, pulling plows through fields just as adeptly as the harness that holds the villager on his way through town. Although, that’s centuries later, I’m getting ahead of myself, it's thought that horse domestication didn’t happen in Japan until sometime between the 4th and 6th century. In addition to textile uses, hemp seeds would have provided healthy dietary fats- a complete protein profile during cold winter months when the Jōmon people were dependent on foods like stored chestnuts, wild caught fish and game, wild harvested foods like mushrooms, and possibly other stored agricultural surplus.
I just wanted to provide some context on how long this plant was intimately embraced into the Japanese culture. It’s easy to forget given the current political stance Japan has taken on cannabis, including low THC hemp varieties. I mean, it has been close to 75 years since the aftermath of WW2 and the establishment of the Cannabis Control Act in that part of the world. Think about it, thousands of years of companionship, treating the plant as medicine, and as a friend of the community, even as sacrament in the Shinto religion (ceremonial robes are made from the highest quality hemp fiber). Hokkaido's cannabis has only recently fallen on very severe selection pressures by generations no longer appreciative of the gifts this plant has offered countless generations prior. In the grand scheme, Hokkaido cannabis has been likely selected to improve all of those aforementioned attributes for thousands of years. Craftfully guided by the same culture/hands responsible for the domestication and improvement of so many varieties of crops and animals. 75 years of selection against THC (and I’m assuming that means low trichome coverage; and selection against any pleasant smelling terpenes by proxy) vs the unfathomable number of years that this plant was cared for and bred in a Japanese garden, sounds like good odds to me. These were my findings and initial thoughts on the possibilities that lay dormant in these seeds that Kismet (Farmer) placed into my hands.
Just as a thought experiment, I want to have you think about the selection pressure a fiber crop must overcome. Years of densely clustered seedlings means only the strongest, most vigorous plants survive to tower above those not fast enough to germinate and reach for the sun. As a fiber crop, these plants were harvested early or at least before flower development goes past the point of being compliant. Now pluck that plant out of the cold, harsh climate of Northern Japan and put her inside, under climate control and modern LED technology. How should she respond? Her lineage has been sun grown for thousands of years, in and out of human domestication. Just think about it.
~Judo