[Baien Gyohin Zusho] (9) Horse Mackerel Genus / Flatfish

|Horse Mackerel Genus (Gichi) Hira-aji

Horse Mackerel Genus, Gichi, Hira-aji, Esatori. When this fish eats bait, its mouth extends long, and its lips are long, unlike other fish. When its mouth is closed, it looks like a normal fish.

Flatfish |(Karei)

"Wamyosho" says: Flatfish (Oryogyo).
Japanese name: Karaihi. Commonly called: Karei.

Zhu Ya says: In the South Sea, there is the flatfish (Oryogyo).
Long ago, the King of Yue made minced fish (namasu).
He did not finish it, and the remaining half was thrown into the water.
Because of this, the half-body became a fish.
Therefore, it is called the flatfish (Oryogyo).

* "Rozuki" (Wax Month) is another name for the twelfth lunar month.
* "Namasu" (鱠) is thought to refer to the dish namasu. |Namasu (膾).

"Bencao Gangmu" says: Flatfish (Himeuo), Karei, |Karei (鰈).
Alternative name: |Sole (Keitei) fish.

I say: This fish is entirely black and white on the belly. It is like half a fish. It is an abbreviation for 'katawa-tai-uo' (deformed-body fish). In the Kanto region, the sole is called 'hirame'. It has the same |name, but is a different species. Also, there are varieties such as |bita-karei, starry flounder, and steamed flounder. 'Steamed flounder' is not the |name of the fish, but fishmongers in Tanba take flounder, steam it in salt water, and half-cook it. They gather many on the seashore, place them on sandy soil, cover them with straw mats, and steam them with warm, humid air; after that, they are slightly |dried, which is called steamed flounder. Now, it is commonly used as the name of the fish. Flatfish (Oryogyo) is used to mean karei.

* "Sado" is |sandy soil (shado).
* "Waramushiro" is a |straw mat (mushiro).

"Izumi Meisho Zue": The flatfish (Oryogyo) is the |shirauo (leftover fish).
Worth considering.

Also, the flatfish (himeuo) is listed in the |Bencao (Herbal) in the |section of scaleless |fish, but this is incorrect. It is a |fish with scales.

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Author's Note: "Bai-en Gyohin Zusho" is a fish encyclopedia by the late Edo period naturalist, Mouri Bai-en. Since the explanatory text is primarily in classical Chinese (Kanbun), it contains many kanji that cannot be displayed on computers, as well as Kanbun reading marks (kaeriten) and okurigana. For readability, characters that cannot be displayed on computers are represented as □, and in the case of names, they are indicated in the format [■ is 〇+〇] whenever possible.

Additionally, Kanbun reading marks and okurigana are written in katakana and Chinese numerals, while furigana and okurigana are written in hiragana.

For the literature cited in this work, please refer to this note. → [Bai-en Gyohin Zusho] Literature Summary

● represents characters that could not be deciphered. I will update this as new characters are deciphered or if I notice any typos or misreadings. For more details, please read the "Self-Introduction / Disclaimer" section. 📖