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Crucian Carp

A freshwater fish in the family Cyprinidae, popular as food and widely sought after as game fish

    The crucian carp (funa in Japanese) is a freshwater fish in the family Cyprinidae, which that is widely distributed on the Asian continent. In appearance, it is similar to the domestic carp, but it lacks does not have its the latter's characteristic barbels (fleshy filaments that hang from the mouth)moustache. The crucian carp is between 15cm and 40 centimeters long and has, with a high body depth, withers height, and a flat body, a dark gray to black dorsal side, and a silvery-whitish or golden ventral side. There are numerous subspecies to the crucian carp subspecies, including kinbuna (goldfish), ginbuna (Japanese silver crucian carp), gengoro-buna (Japanese white crucian carp), and nagabuna (Carassius buergeri subsp. 1), and nigoro-buna (round crucian carp). The goldfish is in fact an improved variety of the crucian carp developed as an ornamental fish.

       The crucian carp inhabits lakes, marshes, and rivers (with the exception of mountain streams areas), lakes, and marshes. During the winter months, it burrows into the mud at the bottom and hibernates. Prior to the its egg-laying period in the spring, crucian carp gather in schools and begin to migrate to smaller rivers and rice paddies in search of food—a. This behavior is called the spawning run.

       Since ancient times, the crucian carp has been an important edible fish since ancient times, but often it must be processed in order to remove its peculiar particular muddy odor. Carp is served in slices washed in cold water (arai), dipped and grilled (tsuke-yaki), marinated in vinegared and miso (sumiso-ae), wrapped in kelp kombu seaweed and boiled (kombu-maki), or stewed in soy sauce and sugar (kanro-ni). Crucian carp can also be pickled in brine and served as funa-zushi, a type of old-style fermented sushi (narezushi) pickled in brine, sliced down its back and grilled on a skewer with sauce (suzume-yaki), or filled with kombu seaweed kelp and skewered dried persimmons and grilled (tsutsumi-yaki). According to a legend in Uji shui monogatari ("A Collection of Tales of from Uji"), when Princess Toochi wanted to warn her father, Prince Oama, of an impending danger during the Jinshin War (672), she sent him a secret letter by hiding it in a tsutsumi-yaki crucian carp prepared in the tsutsumiyaki style.

       Crucian carp can be fished for during all four seasons, and as indicated by the saying are good for crucian carp fishing, and it is a popular game fish as indicated by the saying "Fishing begins and ends with crucian carp.," fishing for crucian carp is quite popular. Records show that during the Heian period (794-1185), members of the aristocracy built ponds in their residences, released domestic carp and crucian carp in the ponds, and enjoyed recreational fishing. Back then, carp fishing was a privilege reserved only for the aristocracy, but in the Edo period (1603-1868), its popularity spread among the warrior class and townspeoplethe townsmen.

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Funa (crucian carp) cuisine and flavor

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Institutions Holding Related Materials

  • 岐阜県各務原市にある淡水魚専門の水族館。長良川下流エリアでギンブナが展示されている。

  • 滋賀県草津市にある、琵琶湖をコンセプトにした博物館。水族展示室の大型水槽で鮒を展示。

  • 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.

External Links

  • 広報紙「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。「おさかな瓦版」vol.59(2014年5月)に鮒の特集がある。

  • 神奈川県内の川や湖でみられる淡水魚の写真入り図鑑。分布・生態・形態など解説は多岐に渡る。

  • 滋賀県の郷土料理で有名な鮒鮓の歴史や由来、レシピを紹介。

References

  1. 望月賢二 監修,魚類文化研究会, 雅麗 編,柏書房
  2. 能勢幸雄 [ほか] 編,東京堂出版,能勢, 幸雄(1926-)||ノセ, ユキオ <AU00335700> [ほか]編
  3. 平凡社 編,平凡社
  4. 尚学図書・言語研究所 編,小学館
  5. 末広恭雄 著,講談社
  6. 橋本道範 編著,サンライズ出版
  7. 川那部浩哉 著,平凡社