Jellyfish
Jellyfish (Kurage), also known as |Shyakugankou (Borrow-eye Duke) or |Kaizetsu (Sea Tongue).
They are produced in |various provinces, with |Bizen being particularly |famous for them. Also, what are called |Tang-jellyfish (Chinese jellyfish) or |Korean |jellyfish are produced in |Hizen. |Originally, these were |items |transported from |foreign countries to |Nagasaki, which is why they were |named this way. |Now, |Japan has also |learned the |method and |manufactures them, and they are similarly |called Tang-jellyfish. |Their |production method involves |soaking them in |lime and |alum, |bleaching them, and removing the |blood and juices, which |changes their |color to |pure white. Also, in |Bizen, they |lightly |roast |oak |leaves, |pound them in a |mortar, and |mix them into |saltwater to |soak them. |Besides that, there are |several other types. |Among them, |water |jellyfish, as well as |black |ones and |red ones, are |all said to be |poisonous, so |fishermen do not |catch them.
Their |shape is |like a |lotus |leaf |covering something, and |on their |edges, there are |things like |legs. The |color is |reddish |purple, and they have |neither |eyes nor |mouths. Under the |belly, there are things that |trail long like |threads or |cotton. |Shrimp and small fish |invariably |attach themselves to them. |Commonly, it is said that they |borrow the |eyes of these creatures to |swim. |Therefore, they have the |name Shyakugankou (Borrow-eye Duke).
The |large ones are |like a washbasin, and the |small |ones are |like a tray. |Their |taste is |bland, and they are |eaten |mixed with |ginger vinegar or the like. |Generally, they are |products of |muddy seas, |abundant in |Chikuzen, |Bizen, |etc., and |scarce in |Koto (the region east of the capital).
To |catch them, around September or October, when they are |floating and |drifting on the |sea, they are |caught from |boats using |scoop nets. |When the |waves are |rough, some are washed up onto the |shore.
Fuboku-sho, Minamoto no Nakamasa
My love is waiting for the moon on the sea
Will there ever be a time to meet the jellyfish's bones?
* "Fuboku-sho" refers to the "Fuboku Wakasho," a private anthology of waka poetry from the late Kamakura period.
When they are floating and drifting on the sea, they are caught from boats using scoop nets
The large ones are like a washbasin, the small ones are like a tray
Will there ever be a time to meet the jellyfish's bones?
Author's note: I will update this as appropriate when I can decipher new characters or notice typos/misreadings. For details, please read the "Self-introduction/Disclaimer" section. 📖