Japanese Fishkeeping History

[MikeM]

I've read various references to carp, goldfish and garden ponds in Japanese histories, but nothing quite indicating a true hobby with a competitive aspect prior to the 1800s. Until now, that is. In a curious "narrative history", Samurai William (G. Milton, 2002), there is a passage (at p. 197) concerning Richard Cocks, an Englishman charged to establish a trade facility in Japan in the early 1600s, I found quite interesting:

"Cocks also developed a passion for goldfish, which he collected with an avidity that surprised even the Japanese. His enthusiasm had been sparked by Li Tan's brother, who presented him with 'a littell fishpond (or jarr) with live fish in it.' [Li Tan was a Chinese trader in the area.] Cocks soon started a collection, buying so many prize fish that they became the talk of Hirado. His aquarium attracted the envy of the local nobility, who tried to get their hands on some of the finer specimens. Often, they were extremely blunt in expressing their desire for one or other of Cocks's golden friends. On one occasion, King Foyne's brother learned that Cocks had a particularly fine fish 'and sent desire to have it'. Cocks was reluctant to part with it, but knew that he would cause great offense by refusing, 'so I gave it him.' Nobutoki was delighted and showed his gratitude by sending back 'a great black dogg'.

"Cocks soon grew annoyed at the constant plunder of his goldfish and did his best to ignore the requests from Hirado's fish-obsessed nobles. But all too often he was forced to relent:'The King of Hirado sent to beg my two golden fishes', he wrote on one occasion, '...which, much against my will, I gave him."

The reference to "King" Foyne is to the local feudal lord or daimyo. The time period was around 1614. Can't you just see the nobles of the place trying to one up one another by obtaining the more prized fish? ...And poor Cocks does not seem to have figured out that he should have gotten into a fish trade with the Chinese traders to supply the wealthy Japanese while waiting the two years it took for a ship to return from England to Japan. But, Cocks does not seem to have been able to think outside the box when it came to trade opportunities.

As with all such readings shared on this board, I do not vouch for the substance of what is quoted. I only vouch for the accuracy of the quotation.

[MikeM]

I have been reading about Townsend Harris, the first Consul General sent by the U.S. to Japan in 1856. After arriving at the designated consulate town of Shimoda, Harris was allowed 'temporary' use of a temple across the bay at Kakisaki as a residence. The temple had a pond with carp, of course. In reports describing the residence, the carp were not ordinary carp. They were described as 'golden carp'. I suspect these were brownish or yellowish carp, and not what we would consider 'golden' today. Nonetheless, it was considered notable at the time that these were not ordinary carp. They were carp of a different color and presumably more auspicious for that reason.

I find it interesting that within days of arriving in Japan, Harris' personal secretary was noting the presence of these 'golden carp'. Not a typical sort of matter to record, but, then, everything about Japan was novel to those american eyes.

[RayJordan]

Hi Mike,
Very neat stuff. I saw a movie recently about the 1st ambassator to Japan played by John Wayne called The Barbarian and the Geisha.

[JasPR]

Mike, the 'golden carp' were known to the Japanese as they inhabited the water around Nagasaki which was opened to the Portuguese for trading in the 1570s. From there it became a sort of quarantine area for the growing number of western traders that came over the next 75 years. It was there and at the artifical island of Dejima that reports of golden carp arose. It is suggested by one Japanese report that the Portuguese brought them to that area. It is not clear if they carried them with them, traded for them on in China or captured, concentrated and passively bred them in area water? It is tempting to conjecture that they brought them as there is a morph of the common carp in Eastern Europe and along the old Roman empire regions that is golden.
At any rate, Japanese later traveled there to collect stock for work on the early koi carp. I'll see if I can get you those references---- JR

[bekko]

Weren't these "golden carp" goldfish instead of ancestral koi? Matsui says it is fairly certain that goldfish had arrived in Japan from China by 1500. Goldfish were being bred in China by AD 1000, possibly by 800.

A document dating to 1694 dealt with a ban on breeding goldfish by the Tokugawa Shogunate in order to curb this frivolous luxury.

Matsui also said that the oldest Japanese goldfish show or fair with a continuous history was started in Tokyo in 1885. He insinuates that this was not the first goldfish show and there may have been others as early as 1824.

-s tev

[Fishbreeder]

"The Barbarian and the Geisha" with John Wayne is a great movie. I don;t know how historically accurate it is, but it follows with what little I know of Japanese history.

My dad has several Japanese artifacts dating to pre-Admiral Perry (before 1854). One of the most interesting is an iron cross. A Christian cross, made by Jesuit priests that visited Japan in the early 1800's, it has the image of Buddha instead of Jesus, on it. The other one is a "Samurai head box" which was the box used to bring the decapitated heads of enemies to the boss.

At any rate, it was Admiral Perry's visit to Japan followed by Ambassador Harris' stay that brought the common carp to America. As part of a cultural/biological exchange, common carp fingerlings were brought to the US and rainbow trout eggs to Japan. It was of course, an ecological disaster on both sides. Common carp being the scourge of pristine American waterways and rainbow trout displacing the native Japanese trout from its habitat.

Both species now considered "indigenous" as they've become so well esconced into thier respective ecosystems.

As an avid old movie buff, I like to watch old Japanese movies on the Independent Film Network. As a child living in Japan I was able to meet famous Japanese actor Shintaro Katsu. He made many movies from the late fifties into the seventies based on the mythological character "Zatoichi". Zatoichi was a blind massuese (Zatoichi directly translates to blind man of the lowest caste) during the Edo period who traveled the country side gambling and righting wrongs. He is a mild mannered and very polite person, unassuming and self deprecating. That is until he gets stirred up, then he becomes a swordsman of the utmost skill, killing all that offend, oppress and take advantage of less fortunates.

In some of the movies the word "koi" is mentioned, almost always associated with fish to eat or fish to catch while fishing (Zatoichi is also a recreational fisherman). "Koi" seen in these old movies are usually packaged up to eat, on a plate or swimming in a pond.

For folks that would like to learn more about life in fuedal Japan, these old movies can help do just that. They are also entertaining with good story lines and contain considerable humor. They are also at times extremely violent and the newer ones get down right bloodthirsty.

Brett

[JasPR]

Hi Steve,

No these were definitely common carp references. I'll look hard this weekend for the reference in my library. I know I have it somewhere. It has taken years to develop the index/catalogue I have today. Hopefully I recorded it when I read it the first time. Please stay tuned.

Happy New Year Steve, JR

[bekko]

Quote: Matsui says it is fairly certain that goldfish had arrived in Japan from China by 1500.

... but, then again, Man Shek-hay says goldfish did not arrive in Japan from China until 1603. So, who you gonna believe?

-ste veho

[MikeM]

In 1693, Engelbertus Kaempfer,a physician who was a member of a Dutch delegation to Tokugawa Japan in the latter decades of the 17th century, wrote a History of Japan that included his observations during a visit to Kyoto. One passage describes a stone castle, which he says was used by "the secular monarch" [the Shogun]when he visited the Emperor. This castle is described as surrounded by a moat:

"A deep ditch fill'd with water, and wall'd in, surrounds it, and is enclos'd itself by a broad empty space, or dry ditch. ... In the ditch are kept a particular sort of delicious carps, some of which were presented this evening to our Interpreter."

I found this passage interesting, since the idea of stone fortification and moats was a western concept, borrowed by the Japanese after the introduction of canon and musketry through early trade with the Portugese and Spain. That carp were in that moat seems so fitting. Two centuries later, the nishikigoi presented to prince Hirohito were placed in the imperial moat in Tokyo.

[Fishbreeder]

Quote: Originally Posted by MikeM In 1693, Engelbertus Kaempfer,a physician who was a member of a Dutch delegation to Tokugawa Japan in the latter decades of the 17th century, wrote a History of Japan that included his observations during a visit to Kyoto. One passage describes a stone castle, which he says was used by "the secular monarch" [the Shogun]when he visited the Emperor. This castle is described as surrounded by a moat: "A deep ditch fill'd with water, and wall'd in, surrounds it, and is enclos'd itself by a broad empty space, or dry ditch. ... In the ditch are kept a particular sort of delicious carps, some of which were presented this evening to our Interpreter." I found this passage interesting, since the idea of stone fortification and moats was a western concept, borrowed by the Japanese after the introduction of canon and musketry through early trade with the Portugese and Spain. That carp were in that moat seems so fitting. Two centuries later, the nishikigoi presented to prince Hirohito were placed in the imperial moat in Tokyo.

It was the weekend of the First All Japan Koi Show that I visited that moat and the Japanese Imperial Gardens (I was around ten years old then). My family was taken on a private tour of the palatial grounds including the garage (Some very cool old cars there) and the moat. Afterwards, as was the usual case when we visited Tokyo, we went to the Officer's Club at the Hotel New Otani. That weekend was the weekend of the First All Japan show and the hotel grounds had fish tanks and people around them. I remember very little, but the fish stuck in my head (apparently). Any Japanese present that saw my sister and I would have remembered us. Here hair was almost white, and all the Japanese were amazed.

Koi (not as we know them but closer to "Arkansas Bekkos") were common in moats around shrines and castles throughout Japan. Goldfish were more common in backyards and I do not ever remember seeing a koi pond at somebody's home then. I and my family lived in a Japanese house in Tachikawa from 1966 through 1969 and on Tachikawa AFB from '69 to '71.

My home address, drummed into my little head, was "San-ju-ichi no san-ju-san, Ichi chome, Tachikawa, Tokyo, Japan. It was a much different time and place and I was allowed to wander the back streets and alley of Tachikawa as well as take the train to my buddy's homes in Kanto Mura, Yokosuka, etc.

Had I not lived in Japan, I assure you I'd not be breeding koi.

Brett