[Saiyu Ryotan / Shiba Kokan] (16) Seeing a Whale Shed on Ikitsuki Island
"Saiyu Ryotan" (Travels to the West) is a travelogue of Nagasaki written by the late Edo period Rangaku scholar and painter Shiba Kokan. It is a very enjoyable read, filled with illustrations of historical sites, local customs, and in particular, the Chinese ships, Dutch ships, Dejima, tuna fishing, and whaling that he observed in Nagasaki. He departed from Shiba Gate on April 23, Tenmei 8 (1788). Five volumes in total.
📖
Going out at midnight, climbing onto the back of a whale.
Whale Dissection Diagram. This place is called Misaki. When cutting the whale's intestines, no sardines or other fish are ever seen. There are only small fish called 'ami' (krill). Also, there are 'geigei' (male and female whales).
There are seven capstans (called shachi-maki). They are wound using large ropes.
* "圖" means diagram.
* "其餘" means 'the rest' or 'others'.
* "鯨鯢 (geigei)" refers to male and female whales. "鯨 (gei)" is a male whale, and "鯢 (gei)" is a female whale. Reference: "Dai Nihon Kokugo Jiten, Vol. 2 (Geigei)", "Wamyō Ruijushō 5 (Geigei) (National Diet Library Digital Collections)
Kei Island visible
Bone shed, as they are called
On this island, there are five types of whales caught.
Right Whale (Semi-kujira) - High grade
The taste is delicious. Large ones are ten ken (approx. 18 meters). They yield two hundred barrels of oil. They are soft and easy to catch.
Fin Whale (Nagasu-kujira) - Medium grade
The taste is light. At first, they appear on the sea surface, then they dive and run along the bottom.
Humpback Whale (Zatō-kujira) - Medium grade
The flesh is firm, and they are also easy to catch. The taste is the same as the Fin Whale.
Calf Whale (Ko-kujira) - Low grade
They are fierce and hard to catch. They break boats.
Sei Whale (Iwashi-kujira) - Low grade
They are rarely caught. Despite the name 'sardine whale', they are not sardines.
The appearance of each of the above is different. Of the ones I saw, I only saw the Right Whale and the Humpback Whale; I did not see the others.
* "Soft and easy to catch" might be a misreading.
* "Saku" might be a misreading.
It is called a whale fin, but it is not a 'fin'.
It is in the mouth, like teeth; it is actually the 'baleen'.
* 'Betto' is thought to be 'Bettō' (superintendent/manager).
Humpback whale: The belly side has undulations.
There are bumps around here.
Fin whale
|Fin whale, |Humpback whale; |Fetus, nine shaku in size.
Others: Sei whale, calf whale; fetus, from eight sun to one shaku five or six sun.
In general, whales are not |oviparous (eggs). They give birth to their form. They are ●one●. It is said that when they |mate, it is like humans.
* "總而" means |generally/all in all.
Calf whale
Gray in color, with a coin-chain pattern. There are teeth in the mouth. There are no teeth in the others. In Dutch books, there is a theory about the unicorn. It is a product of the northern lands and is a type of whale. Its color is gray and it is said to have coin-chain patterns.
Could the calf whale be a type of unicorn? There are white whiskers at the tip of the mouth.
* "Coin-chain" refers to a pattern shaped like lined-up coins. "Coin-chain pattern" is a coin-chain motif.
* "Unicorn" and "Unicorn" are thought to refer to the |one-horned creature. Reference: 'Collection of Western Medical Treasures, Vol. 7-9 ( Unicorn)' (National Diet Library Digital Collections)
Teaching Methods for Natural History Illustrations: Animal Section, 2nd Edition'
* "Northern lands" is thought to refer to countries near the North Pole.
|Tuna-watching tower
When fish arrive, the person sitting on top of the tower raises a |flag. The boats at the standing watchtower see the signal and pull the mouth net to |close it.
* "Mouth net" refers to a net that closes the entrance of a basket or similar object. Reference: 'Great Japanese Dictionary, Vol. 2 (Mouth net)' (National Diet Library Digital Collections)
Hanging two bamboo poles
* "Hanging" might be a misreading.
This is something born from a shell; it is a living creature of flesh that moves.
This shell attaches to the belly of a humpback whale. Its size is as shown in the illustration.
Raw rouge flesh color
The color of the shell is white.
* "圖" (zu) means illustration.
The fins of a humpback whale are all flesh and have no bones.
Cut surface. The cut surfaces are all oily flesh. White.
These barnacles attach to the head or tail fins of a right whale.
This is called a rock barnacle; it is a type of shell. It grows on coastal rocks. Fishermen catch and eat them.
This parasite is found on right whales. It is found among the barnacles. It is called a louse.
These are barnacles attached to the fins or the tip of the tail of a humpback whale.
The color of the shell is white. It extends something like legs. It is flesh-colored and pale red.
* "Barnacle" Reference: "Manyū Kenbunroku Vol. 1 (Barnacle)", "Tsūshō Ihin Vol. 6 (Barnacle)" (National Diet Library Digital Collections)
Illustration of the Meat Shed
Oil is rendered using eighteen stoves. It is poured into the storehouse through a conduit. A whale about ten ken long yields two hundred barrels of oil.
Illustration of the Bone Shed. Also, there is an Intestine Shed.
Reference: "Saiyū Nikki" (National Diet Library Digital Collections)
● indicates characters that could not be deciphered, and □ indicates missing characters. I will update this as needed when I decipher new characters or notice typos or misreadings. For details, please read the "Self-Introduction/Disclaimer" section. 📖