After a ruling from a Japanese local government, a religious group gets license to grow hemp for spiritual use. The Mie Prefectural Government granted the permit to grow hemp Thursday to an association of officials from Shinto shrines. Mie Prefecture is located in the Kansai region of Honshu, the largest and most populated island of Japan.
The prefectural government issued the license under the authority of the country’s Cannabis Control Law. The measure allows the cultivation of hemp, cannabis with little THC, for use in traditional rituals. It was the first time the Mie Prefectural Government has issued such a license.
As of December 2016, 37 groups in 12 other Japanese prefectures have been granted licenses to grow hemp, according to the Japanese health ministry.
Hemp Has Ritual Value In Japan
Shinto is a Japanese religion that dates back to the 8th Century. Its tenets include a deep respect for ancestors and a belief in natural spirits in both living and nonliving things. Until 1945, Shinto was the state religion of Japan.
Practitioners of the Shinto faith use cannabis fiber to create several items used in traditional rituals. Hemp ropes known as shimenawa are hung at the entrance of Shinto shrines, for example.
People have been cultivating hemp in Japan since the stone age. They originally used its fibers to weave fabric and baskets. The plant was introduced to the country from China, perhaps by way of Korea.
Hitoshi Nitta is a leader of the Shinto association in Mie and a professor at Kogakkan University in Ise. He told local media that people should preserve hemp agriculture and history in Japan. He also noted that many of the farmers with knowledge of traditional cannabis farming techniques are now elderly.
“Cannabis