Korea and Japan, both montainous, lacks widespread tradition of pastoralism, while in Europe mountainous areas (Balkans, Alps, Carpathians) unsuitable for farming often are used as pastures. Seems, that difference has its origin in culture rather than environment. In Europe, for example, Vlach shepherds spread pastoral lifestyle to Western Carpathians, all the way to Moravia. Previously inhabitants of Western Carpathian chain made use only of valleys, were farming was possible, seeing steep mountain slopes as useless. After Vlach migration things changed, and these mountainous areas, not used by farmers, were turned into pastures. Would pastoralist culture appear in Japan, then IMHO similar proces would happen and areas at elevations too high for farming may be used as pasture for sheep and goats. What PoD is needed for this (perhaps earlier introduction of sheep to the region?) and what would be impact (other than deforestation)?
Sheep pastoralism in Japan and Korea
- Thread starter Jan Olbracht
- Start date
Will there's a slight problems most East Asians lack the gene needed to process lactose as adults. You will need a POD in the Neolithic.
Sheep are absolutely kept for milk. Not as common as cows or goats, perhaps, but they are used for milk production.
Sheep milk is particularly useful for cheese production.
Sheep's milk - Wikipedia
List of sheep milk cheeses - Wikipedia
Otto Kretschmer
Banned
I wanted to write "MOSTLY kept for wool and mest" 
Asians can eat cheese (most of lactose is removed ved during cheese making) but they usually do not as dairy products are viewed as a food of nomads, something culturally at a lower level
Asians can eat cheese (most of lactose is removed ved during cheese making) but they usually do not as dairy products are viewed as a food of nomads, something culturally at a lower level
No, they are kept for milk too. Sheep's milk can be turned into yogurt and cheese, which were staples of diets reliant on pastoralism.
Otto Kretschmer
Banned
Anyways, cultural impact may be interesting. I have seen a theory that pastoralist cultures have a stronger emphasis on aggression and masculinity, we may see Japan having a cultural streak similar to Spain or the Balkans
Seems like I read somewhere once, God knows where, that the relative absence of dairy products in east Asian diets had less to do with lactose intolerance, and more to do with a certain Chinese emperor, forget which one, who had an aversion to them... and at that time, what the Emperor says, goes...
GeographyDude
Gone Fishin'
Well, I’ll say the wool certainly would be nice in this colder climes.
And yes, I understand sheep graze close to grass roots and are generally pretty destructive.
Around 80 percent are allergic to dairy. It's just not going to be popular for some pretty basic reasons.
Is the culture famous for the Samurai really lacking in aggression and masculinity IOTL?
Most Jews and Arabs are also lactose intolerant, yet pastoralism did well among those people. Similarly, lactose tolerance among Europeans, IIRC, post-dated the domestication of cattle and horses among the PIEs.
Maybe the issue in the Far East is that terracing for agricultural use of steep slopes seems to have been more common there than in Europe, reducing the incentive for introducing sheep? Terracing wasn't unknown in Europe, of course, but it was mostly used for vineyards and olive groves, to my understanding, and not much outside the Mediterranean.
Japan has very rough mountainous terrain
If a species of sheep that was able to forward in rough mountain it's terrain was domesticated it could happen
If a species of sheep that was able to forward in rough mountain it's terrain was domesticated it could happen
Otto Kretschmer
Banned
In that case we might either have two separate warrior cultures or the samurai culture will be influenced by the highland culture
What are you asking for to have sheep be a major industry like England. Or for herding to be the main source of food for the inhabitants
Sheep herding as a way to make use of land, that is not suitable to grow crops.
Sorry I misunderstood ya that's very possible. I kinda only read the title my bad.
In my imagination it would be something like Western Carpathians: people are settled and live in villages, they combine farming in valleys with shepherding on steep slopes.
Steep slopes is not the only issue-sheep could be grazed (at least seasonally) at altitudes, where it is simply too cold for farming, with or without terraces.
