Damage from wildlife is currently a nationwide problem in Japan, with extensive damage to crops in Chiba Prefecture as well.
Hamish Murphy moved seven years ago to the Mineoka mountain range, a region spanning Kamogawa City and Minamiboso City. Originally from Australia, he came to Japan 37 years ago for work. After a long career in finance in Tokyo, he discovered Kamogawa about 20 years ago as a place to spend his weekends, seeking nature.
"From the first time I visited, I felt that Kamogawa was a mysteriously vibrant place, brimming with positive energy. It has both sea and mountains, abundant water, and many Jomon period archaeological sites. Eventually, I found and bought this mountain, built a house, and spent my weekends here. About 10 years ago, I quit my job to study permaculture. At the same time, I started cultivating this land."
The 10,000 tsubo (approx. 8.2 acres) mountain is an untouched forest without roads or water supply. He cultivated a part of it according to permaculture principles, creating fields and ponds. He has built a diverse ecosystem, minimizing environmental impact and maximizing the use of existing resources. For the past seven years, his weekend home has been used as guest accommodation, while he built a small house on the mountain and lives a self-sufficient life.
"After completely relocating, I've had more interactions with my neighbors. The person I owe the most to in this settlement is also a hunter. When I received meat he had caught, it was incredibly delicious with a pure taste. He also taught me butchering techniques. However, there was no gibier processing facility around here, so I couldn't sell the meat. I could only give the meat I got to my neighbors."
Hamish, who grew up with a mother who was an excellent cook and frequently hosted home parties, is quite a gourmet. Having eaten at various restaurants, he felt that the gibier here was exceptional and wanted more people to taste it.
Next to the processing facility is a workshop. He currently works with about four hunters.
"With the support of the hunters, I was able to acquire the permits and qualifications for a gibier processing facility over two years. Now, the deer and wild boar brought by the hunters are butchered and aged here.
While aging gibier is still uncommon in Japan, it tenderizes the meat and deepens its sweetness and flavor. However, if a farmer, for example, sets a trap and catches an animal, they might not have the skill to finish it. In such cases, one of our hunters goes to dispatch it. Properly bleeding the animal immediately after dispatch is essential for high-quality gibier. The aftermath of catching an animal in a trap is also difficult, and no part of the animal goes to waste, so it's mutually beneficial."
The aging period is about two weeks for deer and one week for wild boar. The degree of aging can be judged by the meat's aroma and appearance.
Aging deer for two weeks and wild boar for one week is said to enhance their umami flavor. Sausages made from gibier are a proud specialty.
"Authentic gibier, having roamed mountains and grown in nature, has a mild taste. Any strong odor indicates poor processing, such as improper bleeding or handling. I only use seasonings that allow the true flavor of the gibier to shine through. For the most important ingredient, salt, I primarily use sun-dried saltwater that springs from underground in salt pans about 3000m high in the Andes mountains."
He is always looking for ingredients that pair well with gibier, and he also uses island pepper he encountered in Okinawa and black salt with a sulfuric scent from the Himalayas.
He cultivates the mountain and grows vegetables and herbs for use in sausages and other products. The closer to their original species, the more resilient plants are to grow without pesticides or fertilizers.
"I try to choose Japanese ingredients as much as possible, and I also use sansho berries that grow wild in this forest. In the fields, I grow fennel, garlic, Thai basil, and shiso, and in the forest, I've planted kumquats, mandarins, and Nepalese pepper. That's why I call it an edible forest."
Hamish's work also includes maintaining the forest by cutting and pruning trees so that sunlight can reach the ground. He builds houses that return to the earth, using rice hulls for insulation, and uses composting toilets to turn waste into fertilizer for the garden and fields. Maintaining the forest and taking the lives of wild animals is also about humans, as part of nature, continuing to pass on nature's blessings.
"Animals have consciousness, so we must treat them with respect. Hunters express their gratitude before dispatching them. I also blend the internal organs that are not sold with bamboo chips to make fertilizer, give bones to a ceramic artist friend who makes bone china, and pass on poor-quality meat that isn't fit for sale to companies that make pet food. I try to utilize every part as much as possible. It would be great if someone could use the hides too."
He hopes to continue enjoying life and connecting with people through gibier and one of his hobbies, music.
His home, built with natural materials based on permaculture principles. Works by a friend, an artist from Bali, were displayed throughout.
"While Kamogawa isn't economically wealthy, everyone who lives here is kind. We live by a spirit of mutual help and care. The whole of Japan is currently in a recession with a declining population and a sense of gloom, but at this point, we can only reinvent ourselves. It's definitely going to get interesting from now on."
I asked the former securities broker, who spoke brightly of future prospects, how to best enjoy Mineoka gibier.
"At home, I often make a salad by lightly boiling and chilling root vegetables and green beans, then combining them with grilled gibier and seasoning with salt, pepper, and spices. It's also delicious with cheese and oil as a finishing touch. My wife adds sansho or island pepper to minced wild boar to make meatballs, which she puts in udon or soba with shiitake mushrooms and fried tofu. That's also excellent. Pan-searing minced meat and putting it on pizza is good too. I think the simplest ways of eating it, allowing the original flavor to shine through, are the best."
