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金魚そだて草
寛延元(1748)年初版
安達喜之著・奚疑斎増補


 太平の世を謳歌し、生活文化を楽しむことが発展した江戸時代、身分の上下を問わず、人々の間で園芸植物を栽培したり、小さな生き物を飼育したりすることが流行しました。中でも金魚は、貧しい裏長屋の窓辺にさえも、金魚玉と呼ばれるびいどろ製の小さな金魚鉢が吊るされていた様子が川柳に読まれたほど、人々に親しまれ、愛されました。
この『金魚そだて草』は、そんな世の中の需要に応えて出版された、日本初の金魚の飼い方の専門書です。大坂は堺で40年以上も金魚を飼っていたという大の金魚好きの安達喜之(きし)が解説文を書き、同じく堺の奚疑斎という人が補足説明を加え、寛延元(1748)年に出版されました。
 金魚のルーツは、二千年ほど前の中国で見つかった、突然変異の赤色のフナだと言われます。
この本によれば、金魚が初めて日本へやってきたのは室町時代のこと。今から500年も前の文亀2(1502)年正月20日に、堺の港へ中国からもたらされたのだそうです。しかしこの頃は大変珍しく高価なものとして、ごく一部の上流階級のみが飼うことのできる贅沢品でした。江戸時代中期頃から徐々に数が増えて広まり、値段も下がって、庶民のペットとして愛されるようになりました。
 金魚の品種、雄雌の見分け方、繁殖方法、えさの作り方、病気の治療法、水の替え方などなど、金魚を飼う上で重要なポイントが詳しく書かれています。また、本のサイズも特徴的で、一般の小本と呼ばれる小さなサイズの本よりさらにひとまわり小さく細く、片手に収まる大きさです。これは必要な時にさっと取り出せるよう、常に懐などにしまっておけるコンパクトサイズに作ってあるのです。
 この本の実用的な内容は、現代の金魚愛好家にも高く評価されています。もちろん、同時代の読者にも大変な評判をとったようで、幕末の弘化3(1846)年に至るまで何度も再版が重ねられたほか、続編が出版されたり、類似品の金魚飼育書がいくつも出されるきっかけとなりました。


How to Raise Goldfish
1st year of Kanen (1748) First edition
Writer: Kishi Adachi  Revised by: Keigisai

 The Edo era was a time of peace so people developed their culture and lifestyle in order to enjoy the world. Regardless of social standing, gardening, planting and taking care of small things became fashionable among people. Goldfish were especially popular and loved by everyone. Japanese poems described tiny glass fishbowls call “goldfish balls” hanging in the windows of poor back-alley slums.
 Due to demand, “How to Raise Goldfish” was published as the first technical book in Japan on the subject. The commentary was written by goldfish enthusiast Kishi Adachi of Sakai in Osaka, who kept goldfish for more than 40 years. Keigisai, also living in Sakai, added a footnote and it was published in the first year of Kanen (1748).
 It is said that goldfish originated from the sudden mutation of a red crucian carp found in China approximately 2000 years ago.
 According to the book, goldfish first came to Japan during the Muromachi era. They seem to have been brought from China to the port of Sakai on January 20th, of the second year of Bunki (1502) more than 500 years ago. However, in those days they were an unusual luxury which could only be kept by those of high social status. From the middle of the Edo era, the number of goldfish gradually increased and as they spread and prices fell, they soon came to be loved as a pet of the common people.
 Important points on keeping goldfish such as the kinds of fish, how to distinguish the sex, breeding methods, how to make feed, curing illnesses, how to change the water and others are written in detail. In addition, the size of the book is characteristic as in general it is a size smaller and thinner than even small books and can fit in one hand. The compact size meant it could be easily removed from a breast pocket when needed.
 The practical contents of this book are appreciated even by modern goldfish lovers. Of course, the readers of that time also greatly valued the book. The book was reprinted many times up to the end of the Edo era, the third year of Koka (1846), a sequel was published and it caused many similarly written books on goldfish to be released.