11. Classical Japan: 7th c. to 12th c. Population Stagnates, even declines Epidemic Disease, Cooling, Deforestation and Overproduction Taxes based on Rice Irrigation sporadic, difficult to maintain Iron in short supply Typical Diet: "brown rice, wheat, barley, salt, seaweed, bean paste [miso], vinegar, melons ... lots of rice wine. ... mushrooms, chestnuts, and local fish and game." (Farris 2009, 48)
12. Classical Japan, cont. Agriculture: more oxen, plant-based fertilizers, double-cropping dry fields oils (hemp, sesame, bean) Peasant classes lived on edge of starvation, continued swidden, hunting, foraging Elites lived on tax and tribute from estates "Their diet was surprisingly poor, mostly polished rice, various vegetables, fish and shellfish, and lots of rice wine. ... susceptible to all sorts of chronic diseases." (Farris 2009, 73)
14. Medieval Japan (13th to 16th c.) Population growing: epidemics, famines slow Agriculture: Iron Tools available again, rising use of oxen manure as fertilizer, water wheel irrigation "Island Dry Fields", double-cropping of rice begins Champa Rice "more side dishes such as salted fish and noodles" (Farris 2009, 128)
17. New Foods Zen Buddhist Monk Eisai brings Tea from China. Buddhists also introduce sweet bean paste, steamed buns, and Tofu Foreign Influences: Teppan yaki, Tempura, Castela cake, pepper. Soy sauce, ginger, wasabi become widespread Miso, soy and rice form complete protein
18. Early Modern Japan (17th to 19th c.) Agricultural Boom: Peace Dividend Widespread double-cropping, seed selection Fertilization: "Night Soil", seedcake, fish Columbian Exchange: Sweet Potatoes, green beans, maize, red peppers, pumpkins, watermelon, spinach, chili peppers, peanuts Spread of beriberi as polished rice became more common Hunting declined, except wildfowl; domesticated pig, chicken popular Lunch
20. Everyday Food "What we think of as the traditional Japanese diet of steamed rice accompanied by soup, one or more side dishes, and pickles, developed slowly... Even samurai families often had a daily diet of coarse grains or rice mixed with other grains with a side dish of fish or something extra for the master, but only soup, pickles and possibly boiled vegetables for the rest of the family and the servants." (Hanley 1997, 86)
21. Special Occasions "salted salmon, tuna, bean curd, dried bonito, squid, herring roe, and dried herring - all purchased at a nearby town - eggs, dried nameko (an edible fungus), sea bream, fried bean curd, aya (sweetfish), horseradish, and the list goes on. ... "Sugar was a luxury item [but] even people in the northern, poorer sections of the country could buy it and did." (Hanley 1997, 87)
22. Early Modern Food "in Japan, one-pot meals had one or more grains - usually including rice - as their base, and other foods, particularly vegetables, were added appropriately during the cooking process." (Hanley 1997, 79) Shinano: 20 different rice strains, buckwheat, beans, daikon radish, vegetables, grasshoppers, horse chestnuts, wild greens Urban Restaurants: sushi, soba, ramen, rice cake/bean soup, eel, tea houses
35. Sources Susan Hanley, Everyday Things in Premodern Japan: The Hidden Legacy of Material Culture, UCP, 1997 William Wayne Farris, Japan to 1600: A Social And Economic History, U Hawaii Press, 2009 Yamakawa, Nihonshi Sogo Zuroku [Comprehensive Visual History of Japan] Edo: Art in Japan, 1615-1868 by the National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC Other Pictures by Jonathan Dresner http://www.flickr.com/photos/jondresner/
