We go through life taking our own values for granted.

That’s only natural.

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However, when those assumptions become absolute, people may unwittingly end up rejecting values that differ from their own.

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I hunt.

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It all started when I wanted to obtain at least some of the food I eat with my own hands.

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Since I started hunting, I’ve become much more conscious of the act of “receiving life” than I was before.

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But what shook my values even more was my encounter with the culture of the Matagi.

For me, hunting was simply time spent going into the mountains to track game.

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For the Matagi, on the other hand, hunting was an integral part of their way of life in the mountains.

There, I discovered a way of engaging with nature that differed from my own.

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When I encountered that difference, my own assumptions about what “hunting is” began to waver slightly.

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HINOMOTO does not seek to idealize the Matagi culture.

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Nor do we wish to dismiss modern lifestyles or hunting practices.

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What we value is not deciding “which is right,” but listening to values different from our own.

The Matagi offer a window into this.

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On this page, through the culture of the Matagi, we will reflect on the relationship between people and nature, and on our own “norms.”

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Not to provide answers, but to encounter new questions.

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