Paper short abstract:

Using the genre of Illustrated encyclopedias of famous products printed in late 18th century, the paper will examine different aspects of men-animal relations, such as the imagery attached to specific animals or the way animal behavior is analyzed by villagers in order to capture them.

Paper long abstract:

We are used to link descriptions and representations of animals to treatises of natural history such as the famous Yamato honzô (Materia medica of Japan; 1709) by Kaibara Ekiken. But animals are also present in other types of learned literature. Illustrated encyclopedias such as Nihon sankai meibutsu zue (Illustrated famous products of the mountains and seas of Japan; 1754) or Nihon sankai meisan zue (Illustrated famous productions of the mountains and seas of Japan; 1799) provide also a wide variety of descriptions of animal behavior or human behavior toward animals. However, these descriptions are not intended to deal with every aspect of the animals. Animals (fishes, birds, whales, bears,..) in this context are seen as mere consumer goods that are supposed to be eaten or transformed into drugs. The way they are looked at is necessarily determined by this purpose and attention is mainly focused on the most effective way to capture them. It is also to be noted that these writings are resting on oral testimonies and more rarely on direct observations. Thus, it would be an error to consider these books as reflecting authentic men-animal relations in early modern Japan. The fact remains that they offer an interesting angle to approach the topic. On the one hand, they shed light on the imagery attached to some animals (especially the biggest ones), the way it draws on ancient poetry, Chinese scholarly tradition as well as local legends. On the other hand, they can be used to observe the evolution of men-animal relations in a context of proto-industrial production where elaborate techniques are implemented by a large number of villagers in order to trap the animals. These materials finally provide a means to reflect upon the place animals had in people's life and village organization. A special attention will be paid to illustrations in so far as they provide invaluable information.