18 AMAM.OBERLIN.EDU MARINE FISHING The two landscape prints here show large-scale fishing in mid-19th century Japan, one inWakasa Province on the northern coast of the main island of Honshu, and the other in Tosa Province on the south coast of the island of Shikoku. Little has been recorded of these regional traditions, but the activites seen in them can be understood based on the better recorded fishing industry centered on the great city of Edo, which exemplifies the sustainable character of commercial fishing in the 18th–19th centures. Once a humble fishing village, Edo grew to a population of about one million by the 18th century, and local fishing expanded to match the demand. Careful organization and regulation allowed Edo Bay to supply fresh fish to the city and its surroundings on a daily basis without depleting marine resources. Fishing rights to certain areas were strictly controlled, andmany guilds of fishermen both cooperated and competed to get their catch to the wholesale market in the downtown Nihonbashi district. From there, the seafood was whisked away to numerous local dealers and finally to thousands of homes and restaurants throughout the city. Attributed toKitao Shigemasa 北尾重政 (Japanese, 1739–1820) BoywithSeaBream, FishingPole andCap, Attributes of theGod Ebisu, fromthe untitled series Children as the Seven LuckyGods, late 1770s to early 1780s Color woodblock print (nishiki-e); ink and color on paper MaryA. AinsworthBequest, 1950.292 A happy boy sits with a fishing pole in one hand and the other armwrapped around an immense fish known as a red sea bream (tai 鯛). This popular seafood had numerous auspicious associations in 19th-century Japan and beyond. Its red color related to good fortune, and tai fish are often seen in the arms of Ebisu, a god of good luck and patron of fishermen. In fact, Ebisu’s characteristic floppy hat can be seen hanging upside-down from the boy’s pole, cementing his connection with the god. This kind of print would have been considered both amusing and a wish for good fortune and abundance. UtagawaHiroshige I 初代目歌川広重 (Japanese, 1797–1858) WakasaProvince: FishingBoatsNettingFlounder, no. 30 fromthe series Pictures of Famous Places in the Sixty-oddProvinces, 1853 Color woodblock print (nishiki-e); ink and color on paper MaryA. AinsworthBequest, 1950.1285 This print shows large-scale commercial fishing in action, as uniformly dressed and disciplined fishermen haul in an immense net brimming with flounder and crab. Note the rice-straw rain gear many of themwear against the ocean spray. The scene is probably inWakasa Bay, one of the most important ports on Japan’s northern coast, and still an important site for commercial fishing.
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