Specialty Food, Market Culture, and Daily Life in Early Modern Japan

This study examines early modern Japanese society through the lens of food and foodways. The author demonstrates how food empowered peasants, fisherfolks, and ordinary merchants to repeatedly challenge the established regulations for food trade and distribution.

Akira Shimizu is associate professor at Wilkes University.

List of Figures List of Tables Acknowledgments Introduction 1. The Market Landscape in the Late Tokugawa Period 2. Deregulating the Market: Wholesalers' associations and Serigai merchants in the Case of Eggs 3. Wholesalers vs. Shosuke: One Man's Attempt to Promote Ezo Kelp 4. In Defense of the Brand: Koshu Grapes and Peasants' Power in the Market 5. Legitimizing with the Past: The Yuisho of Tsukudajima's Shirauo (Japanese Icefish) Fisheryg and the End of Early-Modern Tribute Duties Conclusion Bibliography About the Author