Commonalities between Taoism, Ancient Shintoism, Jomonism and Hemp
"A way of living in harmony with nature" that existed "before Bushido"
In Japan, the word “michi” (way) has represented a lifestyle integrated with spiritual culture, such as bushido, tea ceremony, flower arrangement, and judo. However, its origins are much older than bushido, dating back to a time when nature and spirituality were one.
One aspect of this is embodied in the “way of hemp.” It is not simply a technique for using materials or a religious ritual. It is a way of life centered on vibrational resonance with nature – a comprehensive worldview that uses “hemp” as a medium for everything from the body, clothing, faith, purification, and spatial design.
"Tao" philosophy and hemp - Do not go against the flow of nature and the universe
In ancient Chinese Taoist thought, “Tao” means the principles of the universe, the flow of nature, and nature as it is. “People should live according to the flow of nature,” and “it is right to be in the flow without trying to change things forcibly.” This idea resonates surprisingly well with the spirituality of the Jomon people and the foundations of ancient Japanese Shinto. And hemp is a plant that embodies this worldview. “It grows straight,” “it is soft yet flexible, and bends even in the wind.” It shows a “vertical path” that grows toward the sky while rooted in the soil. In other words, hemp itself speaks of “Tao.”
The "spirituality of hemp" in ancient Shinto
In Shinto, hemp has been used as a symbol of purification, cleansing, and connection. Shimenawa, bell rope, and hemp (Oonusa) are all tools that connect the invisible world with the visible world, and are more like a path than a tool. In ancient Shinto, gods were said to appear from Takamagahara through a path, and in order to welcome them, it was necessary to purify the path. Hemp was used for this purification, which also represented the purification of the path, or the rectification of consciousness. In other words, the path of hemp is also a path of vibration that tunes the connection between gods and humans.
The Way of Hemp as Jomon “Body Knowledge”
In the lives of the Jomon people, hemp connected the following “paths”: “The path of clothing: touching the skin and passing energy,” “The path of food: eating the seeds and balancing from within,” “The path of prayer: tying the fibers together and using them for ritual tools and barriers,” “The path of living: turning it into tools such as ropes, nets, and fiber materials,” and “The path of death: using it as a cloth for funeral attire and for the soul’s journey.” All of these are evidence that “hemp was part of their way of life.” In other words, hemp was “a spiritual conduit to become one with nature through life.”
"The Elegance of Hemp" Inherited by Bushido
As time passed, the “way” changed shape into the ethics and aesthetics of the samurai.
Even in these changes, the spirituality of the “way of Asa” was passed down. For example, white robes made of linen symbolize “sincerity” and “purity without fear of death.” The white linen costumes worn in the tea ceremony and Noh theater embody “mindlessness” and “emptiness.” The white linen robes worn in seppuku (serafuku) scenes symbolize “purity = a pure death.” In other words, the values that underlie Bushido, such as “elegance, purity, and harmony with nature,” actually flow from the “way of Asa.”
Asano-michi = "The philosophy of reconnecting people with nature"
What does the “way of hemp” mean in the modern world? It is a proposal for a “way of life” that goes beyond functionality and fashion, and is like a “channel” through which humans can once again reconnect with nature and the spiritual world in a vibrational way.
Wearing hemp clothing
Living with hemp materials
Eating hemp oil
Breathing in hemp fields
──All of this is **”practice to align your vibrations with nature through hemp.”**
Conclusion: The Way of Hemp is the Forgotten “Spiritual Baseline of the Japanese”
“The Way of Hemp” is not a religion or an ideology, but a “vibration philosophy” through the body. And it is the “layer even lower” of Bushido and modern ethics, that is, the basis of the “invisible spirituality” that the Jomon people permeated their daily lives. Recovering hemp today is not about rediscovering the material. It is about recovering a “way of life” and regaining the frequency with nature. The way of hemp is “the invisible road that runs between people and nature.” It is a forgotten ancient philosophy, and also the key to reconnecting to the future.