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Bonito (Katsuo)

This fish of the Scombridae family has been an important edible fish since ancient times

Bonito is a fish of the Scombridae family. It can reach a length of 1 meter, but ones usually caught roughly range from 40 to 65 centimeters. Its body is tuna-shaped and is dark blue on the dorsal side and silvery white on the ventral side. Although not visible while living, after it dies, 4 to 10 blue-black vertical bands appear on its body.

       Bonito are distributed in warm waters around the world. In Japan, they are numerous in Pacific waters. In the Northern Hemisphere, they migrate north in the spring. They are fast swimmers and can reach speeds of up to 100 kilometers per hour. The bonito has been an important edible fish since ancient times. In Tsurezuregusa (Essays in Idleness), Yoshida Kenko wrote, "In the past, [bonito] was not given to people of high rank." Hence, it seems that at that time it was not regarded as a high-class fish. Because the pronunciation of this fish's Japanese name, katsuo, also means winning fish, bonito was especially popular among samurai as a fish that would bring good luck. In the Edo period (1603-1867), Yamaguchi Sodo wrote, "Before me are the green leaves, the wild cuckoo, and the first catch of bonito." Since then, the first catch of bonito has been known as an early summer delight. Bonito are individually caught with fishing rods from bonito fishing boats. Fresh bonito is enjoyed as sashimi. It is also used to make dried bonito shavings and namaribushi (boiled, half-dried bonito), and its organs are salted.

       In different regions of Japan, bonito is also known as mandara, magatsuo, katsu-uo, and katana. Young bonito are called tokkuri. The name katsuo is said to have derived from katauo (hard fish) because it becomes hard when dried. The Chinese character for katsuo (鰹) is a blend of two characters meaning hard fish (堅魚).

Related People, Things and Events

Books

Depictions of bonito in natural history illustrations from the Edo period (1603-1868)

References about dried-bonito shavings

Related Works

References about bonito fishing

Videos

Institutions Holding Related Materials

  • 「潮目の海」で展示。所在地は福島県いわき市。

  • 「黒潮大水槽」で展示。所在地は鹿児島県鹿児島市。

  • 「黒潮の海」で展示。所在地は 沖縄県国頭郡本部町。

  • The National Diet Library (NDL), founded in 1948, is the library which belongs to the Diet. The NDL assists the activities of the National Diet. The Library collects and conserves materials and information both from Japan and abroad, serving as a foundation of knowledge and culture and providing library services to administrative and judicial entities and Japanese citizens.

  • he National Museum of Ethnology, Japan (Minpaku) is the only research institute of cultural anthropology and ethnology in the world, that is equipped with one of the world’s largest museum facilities as well as post-graduate educational facilities.

  • General Museum and Research Institute of Japanese History / A member of National Institutes for the Humanities, Inter-University Research Institute Corporation

  • As Japan’s representative museum, Tokyo National Museum collects, preserves, displays, and researches the cultural properties of Asia with a focus on Japan, and also provides educational programs.

External Links

  • 広報紙「FRANEWS」「おさかな瓦版」(国立研究開発法人水産研究・教育機構発行)をデジタル化し公開。水産に関する様々な特集を組んでいる。「FRANEWS」vol.34(2013年3月)、「おさかな瓦版」vol.54(2013年7月)・vol65(2015年5月)に鰹の特集あり。

  • 「栄養と料理」(女子栄養大学出版部)をデジタル化し公開。フリーキーワードから鰹を使った料理のレシピ等が検索できる。

  • 食文化に関係する錦絵を集めたデータベース。検索から、鰹に関する浮世絵の作品を調べることができる。

References

  1. 小学館