Experts and the Quest for Dietary Culture
Various experts have researched dietary culture with an eye to different aspects. This article is recommended for those who have a strong interest in, or are engaged in studying dietary culture.
Exploring the Delights of Ukiyo-e through Food
by Hayashi Ayano
In the eighth year of the Keichō Era (1603), the warlord Tokugawa Ieyasu (1543-1616) established his military government in Edo (now Tokyo). During the 260 years of peace that followed, Edo’s citizens constructed new ways of life and cultivated a previously non-existent urban culture. With peace life became more stable and commoners who lived comfortably started to pursue various forms of entertainment. From this pursue, a genre known as ukiyo-e (pictures of the floating world) was born. From pictures of actors and courtesans to landscapes and the livelihood of people in various regions, all sorts of themes that adorned the streets of Edo became the subject of ukiyo-e. Far from numerous, some of these pictures include scenes with food. With the spread of seasoning such as soy sauce, sugar, vinegar, together with the rise of productivity and expansion of their circulation, food culture attained a remarkable development during the Edo period (1603-1868). In this essay I will reveal some of these developments through ukiyo-e.
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- Vol.4
Feasting under the Cherry Blosssms (Spring)
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- Vol.3
Mochi from Ancient Times to the Modern Day (Winter)
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- Vol.2
The Popular Edo Dish of Soba (Autumn)
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- Vol.1
Japanese Beauties' Feast (Summer)