Paper short abstract:

I focus on a 'petto buumu' in mid-18th century Japan, and the concomitant animal care books that were published to assist those interested in breeding and feeding 'nezumi' in particular. How can we interpret their contents in the context of human - nonhuman animal relations in early modern society?

Paper long abstract:

In this presentation I focus on a 'petto buumu' in mid-18th century Japan, and the concomitant animal care books that were published to assist those interested in breeding and feeding particular types of pets . How can we interpret their contents in the context of human - nonhuman animal relations in early modern Japan?

The lives of and care for pets in the Tokugawa period is not a deeply researched area. Cats and dogs have recieved some attention by modern scholars. However, there were also tiny, inconspicuous animals that caused a rage especially in the cities of Osaka, Kyoto and Edo.

What I will discuss in this presentation, are two of the lesser known creatures: goldfish and 'nezumi' - which can be a rat or a mouse in Japanese - on the basis of guide books that were published in the mid-Tokugawa period. They seem to have been quite popular, as the publication and republications of several booklets on "How to raise goldfish" and "How to raise rats/mice", for example, show.

My main questions are: how were these animals 'domesticated' and was their breeding manipulated? How did they fit in with other social pursuits of their owners, with matters of money and status? In short: what does a reflection on their existence as pets in early modern Japan tell us about the history human and nonhuman relations?