Send message to Author

Paper short abstract

Members of the naturalist circle Shabenkai developed the knowledge of fish by interacting with scholars within and beyond the circle in the mid-19th century. A shogunal physician Kurimoto Tanshū’s knowledge and his unpublished illustrated manuscripts on the subject were transferred to the circle.

Paper long abstract

From the 18th century to the beginning of the 20th century, the production of fish catalogues flourished in Japan. With increasing interest in flora and fauna from medical, encyclopaedic and artistic perspectives, the fish attracted both professional and amateur naturalists. Shabenkai (the Association of the Red Rod), an amateur naturalist circle in Edo was not an exception. The circle's members closely interacted with a shogunal physician Kurimoto Tanshū (1756-1834), who compiled an illustrated fish catalogue known as Ritsushi gyofu. This unpublished catalogue had a great influence on later catalogues such as Hakubutsukan gyofu (Illustrations of Fish Species Compiled by the Museum Bureau).

In 2025, the Chester Beatty acquired illustrated manuscripts of 33 fish and sea animals donated by the family of Denis Joseph Corish (1925-2024), Professor Emeritus of Philosophy, Bowdoin College, Maine. The manuscripts were likely compiled by Tamaru Naonobu, a shogunate official and a member of Shabenkai. The set includes copies of manuscripts written by Tanshū and another Shabenkai member, Shidara Sadatomo (1785-?). The manuscripts show layers of motivation and interest in illustrating and describing sea creatures: naming the unfamiliar, recording the history and context of encounters, curiosity about their physical characteristics and their origins, and preventing food poisoning.

This paper explores the process of knowledge building on fish at the end of the Edo period by examining the Chester Beatty's manuscripts as 'a witness' to the discovery of strange fish at Japanese coasts, contemporary scholarly discussions and the production of fish catalogues around the Tempō era (1830-44). Comparing with Ritsushi gyofu, Kōwa gyofu, and Hakubutsukan gyofu, it also analyses the modification and adaptation of Tanshū's fish painting at different stages. The manuscripts at the Chester Beatty not only trace knowledge transfer between Shabenkai members but also among scholars and physicians serving the shognate and domains beyond the circle. This study enriches the understanding of Shabenkai members' activity outside their formal meetings.