Tuna (Shibi)

Tuna

|Tuna (Shibi)| The large ones are called O-shibi (king tuna), the medium ones are called Shu-shibi (commonly called mekuro), and the small ones are called |●[unreadable character]shi|ko (meshiro). In the eastern provinces, they are called maguro.

They are caught in great numbers in |Chikuzen|, |Munakata|, |Sanshu|, |Hirado|, and |Goto|. Among them, those from |Hirado| and |Iwashimizu| are considered the highest quality. Generally, those caught from the autumn equinox in August until October are called hirenaga (long-fin). Those caught from October until the winter doyo (mid-season period) are called |kuro| (black), and these are large. Those caught from the winter doyo until the spring doyo are called hatara, which are small fish of only about one shaku two or three sun, and these are the |kuroshibi| (black tuna) |children| from the previous year. The meat of all of them resembles |bonito| and the color is |very| red. The taste is |inferior| to bonito. Generally, when many are |caught| in one net, it can reach five or seven ten-thousands.

The reason this is called hatsunomi is that since there is no one in the city who buys a whole fish, the meat is |cut| and |weighed| to |meet| the |demands| of both large and small buyers, which is why it is called "big fish meat cutting" in other provinces as well. Also, the reason it is |named| "hatsu" (first) is that in the past, when this meat was first prized and |began| to be |taken|, people would compete to be the |first| to |seek| it, much like how people today argue about the |speed| of the |first bonito| in the eastern capital. Because of this, the |first catch| of the first net came to be called "hatsu".

In later ages, people |disliked| the rich flavor of this fish, and it eventually fell into disuse as a |low-class item|, no longer added to the |kitchens| of |banquet meals|. However, even now, it is |likened| to one of the |eight delicacies| by |commoners| and is praised. The small ones of this fish are |dried| and used as a fake version of |dried bonito|.

Man'yoshu
　Like the fishing fire lit by the ama (fisher) catching tuna, my hidden longing will surely come to the surface.

In the |Book of Rites, Monthly Ordinances|, it says that in the |last month of spring|, the Son of Heaven |offers| |tuna| at the |ancestral temple|, but there is debate over the character for tuna, and it is difficult to determine if it is the same as the current "hatsu." I will |explain| this |further| |below|.

The net mesh is about eight sun, and it is generally controlled by thin ropes about twenty cho long. It has a bottom and its |shape| is like a |winnowing basket|. There is a bag at the tail. The ropes are thicker than a thumb and are always kept submerged on the seabed, with two boats |attached| to each end of the net, |waiting| for the fish to |gather|. |If| the |gathering| is slow, they may guard the net for two or even three months, |passing| the time |idly|. There is also a |fish-watching| |watchtower| on the mountain peak, from which they |observe| the situation, determine the number of thousands or tens of thousands in the school of fish, and wave a |flag| while |shouting| "kama iro iro" (kairo is a corruption of "prepare").

At that time, three small boats called danbei |go out|. Three people are |assigned| to each boat. Wearing |waist| |straw raincoats|, |sashes|, and |headbands|, they row as if |flying|, |hook| their hands onto the bottom of the net, and |pull| it to the point of ●●. Then, following the waving of the |flag| from the mountain peak, |many| danbei boats |approach| and pull it up together. As the net nears the boat, the fish |surface| and |boil| as if in a frenzy. The |fishermen| |strike| the |heads| of the |fish| with things like |rakes| or |gaffs|, and they |struggle| all the more, naturally leaping into the boat. Once they are all |in|, the net is submerged again just as before, and only the boats |row| |away|. Although the bag attached to the tail may be |filled| with about two boatloads of sardines, they pay no attention to other fish. This is because since the net has been submerged for a long time, it has become mossy and the fish have come to live there as if it were |their| |nest|. You should also refer to the illustration.

Also, one method is to catch them by fishing. This is a technique from |Wakasa|, where the |hook| is about three sun long, the |hemp| |rope| is one |hundred ken| long, and about |one ken| from the |hook end| is also wrapped with |hemp|. This is called a "rat tail." |Bait| uses the |guts| of bonito. The line is coiled into a bucket and not |attached| to a rod.

This |fish| has a large |head|, a |pointed| |beak|, a long nose, and the mouth is under the |chin|. The |cheeks| and |gills| are like |iron helmets|, and there are |blue spots| under the cheeks. After death, it |bleeds| from the |eyes|. There is a |bristle-like mane| on the back. It has no scales. It is |blue-black|, and the |belly| is white, like |mica|. The tail has a |fork|, is |hard|, and the |upper| part is |large| while the |lower| part is |small|. Large ones are one or two |jo| (10-20 feet), small ones are seven or eight shaku, the meat is |fat| and thick, and this fish has strength in its head. When the |head| |faces| |land| and the |tail| |faces| the |sea|, it is easy to catch by |hooking| it. This is because there is no strength in the tail. When they take advantage of the |warmth| to |float|, and when they |come| |dazzled| by the sun, they form |schools|. |Fishermen| |catch| them to extract |oil| or make |dried meat|.

Applying the character for tuna to "shibi" does not |fit| the |definitions| in the |Bencao| (Materia Medica) or |dictionaries|. However, the |Wamyosho| (Japanese dictionary) relies on the |Minshu| (Book of Fujian), so there may be a reason for distinguishing names based on the size of the fish. Also, in the |Chronicles of Japan|, |Buretsu Chronicle|, the |name| of the |son| of |Matori| Minister is called |Shibi|, and in the self-notes, it is also read as "jibi." Originally, the |explanation| of sea creatures in China is |very| |rough|, as stated in ●. Therefore, it is |acceptable| to |follow| the |tuna| (shibi) reading for the time being. The |etymology| of "shibi" is |unclear|.

◇

Author's note: ● indicates characters that could not be deciphered.
I will update this as I decipher new characters or notice typos/misreadings. For details, please read the "Self-introduction/Disclaimer" page. 📖