Goose (Kari)
A migratory bird that flies to Japan in the winter, the goose has been consumed in Japan since ancient times for its delicious taste
Kari (goose) is a general term for a group of waterfowl larger than ducks and smaller than swans in the Anserinae subfamily of the family Anatidae. Throughout the world, fourteen species are known. In Japan, well-known migratory geese are the greater white-fronted goose, the bean goose, the cackling goose, the lesser white-fronted goose, and the brant. More than 90 percent of the geese that migrate to Japan are said to be the greater white-fronted goose.
Owing to its delicious flavor and abundance, goose has been commonly consumed since the Jomon period. After the little cuckoo, it is the second most mentioned bird in the poetry collection Man'yoshu (Collection of Myriad Leaves, after 759). During the Edo period (1603-1867), hunting geese was prohibited so that the Tokugawa family could engage in falconry hunting. However, from the Meiji era (1868-1912) on, the number of geese in Japan rapidly decreased, owing to the popularity of gun hunting and the loss of such habitats as lakes and marshes. So geese were excluded from the designation as a game bird, and hunting geese has been prohibited since 1971.
The domestic goose (gacho) is a poultry version of the goose. There are two species, one that originates from the European greylag goose and another that originates from the Chinese swan goose. The goose is the earliest domesticated bird, along with chickens. There is a record in Japan that the Silla court presented two geese to Japan in 820. By the seventeenth century, it appears, geese were commonly raised for food.
The dish ganmodoki (imitation goose) was created using Buddhist vegetarian ingredients as a substitute for tasty goose meat, it is said. It is made by combining tofu with yam, shiitake mushrooms, carrots, ginkgo nuts, etc., to make patties, which are then fried in oil.
The karigane (lesser white-fronted goose), another Japanese word for goose, is used in several Japanese family crests (kariganemon).
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Literary works that feature wild geese
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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.
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.
Kyoto National Museum collects, preserves, displays, researches and provides educational programs focusing on cultural properties from Heian- through to Edo- period Japan, when the capital was located there.
Kyushu National Museum explores how Japan’s history of cultural exchange with the rest of Asia has impacted the formation of its culture. To that end, we engage in the collection, preservation, exhibition, and research of cultural properties, in addition to providing educational outreach to the local community.
宮城県内陸の北部にあるマガンの越冬地。
宮城県大崎市にあるマガンの越冬地。
北海道美唄市にあるマガンの越冬地。
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出光美術館のコレクションデータベース。中国の禅僧画家・牧谿による「平沙落雁図」を見ることができる。
サントリー美術館のコレクションデータベース。尾形光琳の「飛雁図」を見ることができる。
岡山県立美術館の収蔵品データベース。鉄舟徳済画「芦雁図」を見ることができる。
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環境省が毎年行っている渡り鳥の飛来調査。全国39地点の調査地への渡り鳥の飛来状況や飛来数などを詳細に載せている。
References
- 狩野博幸[監],河出書房新社
- 今橋理子 [著],講談社
- 日立デジタル平凡社,平凡社