Rare Fish in Edo Period
When the people of the Edo era encountered an unfamiliar sea creature, they would often leave a record of their findings, labeling it as a ‘rare’ or ‘unusual’ fish. The Oki no Kuni Sanbutsucho, in particular, includes an image of the hammerhead shark drawn in a humorous style.
When the people of the Edo era encountered an unfamiliar sea creature, they would often leave a record of their findings, labeling it as a ‘rare’ or ‘unusual’ fish. Additionally, the Japanese word for ‘魚 fish’ at that time referred to a wide variety of aquatic creatures including jellyfish and salamanders.
In the Getsudo Kenmon-shu, a collection documenting events and customs from 1697-1734, there is an illustration of a rare fish called Manzairaku. This creature, found in March of 1712, is said to have been nearly seven shaku (about 2.10m) in length with light gray hair and red eyes. It was presented to the Edo Castle and given the name Manzairaku by Motohiro Konoe.
In addition to unidentified, rare creatures such as these, many aquatic creatures that are now widely recognized were also portrayed as strange and unusual.
With a length of over 1 meter and an unusual body shape, the ocean sunfish was often recorded and sketched.
The giant Japanese salamander, not a fish but an amphibian, was also considered rare. A giant Japanese salamander, caught in 1801 under the weir of the Itabashi watermill in Edo, appears in the Suizoku Shijo (Four Books of Aquatic Wildlife). This individual specimen was exhibited after being personally inspected by the Shogun, Ienari Tokugawa.
In the Oki no Kuni Sanbutsu Ezu Chusho, an illustrated collection of wildlife created to report the findings of the Oki no Kuni Sanbutsucho (The Book of Various Products in Oki Province) to the Shogunate, there is a picture of a creature called a Kasewani. This is actually the Carcharhiniformes Sphyrnidae, commonly known as the hammerhead shark, drawn in a humorous style.
Related People, Things and Events
Books
Related Works
Photos
Videos
Past Exhibitions
| Title | shusai | Place | open | close |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 滋賀県立琵琶湖博物館 | 2009/2/14 | 2009/2/28 | ||
| 大分市美術館 | 2017/4/11 | 2017/5/28 | ||
| 千葉県立中央博物館 | 2002/4/27 | 2002/6/2 | ||
| 愛媛県美術館 | 2006/10/12 | 2006/11/26 | ||
Institutions Holding Related Materials
神奈川県小田原市に所在。国立科学博物館と共同で「魚類写真資料データベース」を運営している。
鳥取県境港市に所在。700種類・4000点の魚介類のはく製を展示。
富山県魚津市に所在。珍魚アカナマダの標本を展示。
京都府京都市に所在。オオサンショウウオ を展示。
三重県名張市に所在。赤目四十八滝生まれのオオサンショウウオを含む国内産を中心に、9種約50余匹のサンショウウオ を展示。
External Links
国立国会図書館が所蔵する江戸時代の博物誌について、特に動植物画に焦点をあてた電子展示。珍魚を描いた図譜も紹介されている。