Otaru City Museum Director Naoaki Ishikawa Updated 31 March 2021

On the south side of the Tominokoji Exit of Kyoto Gyoen (the right-hand exit on the south side of Kyoto Gyoen on the map), across Marutamachi Street, in Kyoto-style geographical terms, there is a street called "Konbuya-cho" at "Marutamachi Tominokoji Higashiiriru."

Currently, it is a small town with fewer than 10 residents. Unfortunately, there are no stores selling kelp, but this may indicate that kelp from Hokkaido was transported all the way to Kyoto. Although the truth of this is uncertain, an acquaintance of mine in Kyoto said, "Osaka people prefer the strong-flavored true kelp (mainly harvested in the Minamikayabe area), but in Kyoto we prefer Rishiri kelp, which has a hard surface and does not impart color to broth."

So when did the people of Kyoto start to like konbu? The "gunpu" (military cloth) mentioned in the official history book "Nihon Shoki," compiled in 797, is said to refer to konbu, but konbu itself is thought to have been in use since the Nara period.

So where did kelp come from? There is an interesting historical document. The Engishiki, compiled in 927 by order of Fujiwara no Tadahira, is a collection of rules and regulations necessary for the implementation of the Ritsuryo Code, the legal code of the time. It gives us an idea of ​​the administrative situation in Japan in the 10th century.

Among them is the "Tamibu-shiki - Miscellaneous Trade Article," which lists the local specialties to be submitted to the government. The items sent as tribute from Mutsu Province, located on the Pacific coast, include "Dokuseki skin, gold dust, kelp, rope kelp, and thin kelp." Similarly, Dewa Province, located on the Sea of ​​Japan coast, listed "bear skin, reed deer skin, and Dokuseki skin," with the word "kelp" appearing only in Mutsu Province.

Looking at current figures for farmed kelp, Hokkaido and Iwate Prefecture account for 97% of all kelp shipped nationwide, meaning that most is produced in these two places. Of these, Iwate Prefecture accounts for 24% of the total, and remains the main production area. Incidentally, Akita Prefecture, located in Dewa Province, produced only 9 tons in 2018, or 0.02% of the total, demonstrating the regional characteristics of this kelp product.

It is probably common to interpret this as meaning that kelp was presented as a specialty of Iwate Prefecture, which is the southernmost limit of kelp as a living organism. However, the interesting thing about this document is that it allows for a slightly more in-depth look.

During the Heian period when the Engishiki was compiled, Hokkaido was not under the control of the Japanese government, and the two provinces of Mutsu and Dewa were considered the northernmost. However, exchanges between Ezo and Tohoku had continued since the Jomon period, and trade was active in Hokkaido during this period, which is classified as the Satsumon period. It is believed that the furs mentioned in the Engishiki were among the items that were transferred from Hokkaido to Honshu during this time.

In this passage, there is the word "dokukaku," which is literally synonymous with "dog." However, the idea of ​​dog fur being a local specialty raises questions. The sound is similar to the Ainu word "tokkari," so it may refer to a seal, and the word "ashika" may refer to a sea lion, so these may refer to the fur of marine mammals.

If this is the case, and given the context of these animals, it is possible that the furs were obtained from the Emishi people to the north. Furthermore, it is possible that the gold dust that was once the focus of attention of Masakazu Yoshizaki of the Department of Anthropology at Hokkaido University was also obtained from Hokkaido.

If we look at the article again with this premise in mind, it is possible that kelp may also have come from Ezo. After the Kamakura period, the number of Japanese settlements increased along the southern coast of Hokkaido, and these people began to transport products from Ezo to Kyoto.

Teiki Orai, which is said to have been compiled in the early Muromachi period, is a booklet used as an introductory geography textbook in terakoya schools and other places from the Muromachi period through the Edo period. It mentions "Ezo salmon" and "Uga kelp" as local specialties. "Ezo" refers to the Ainu people. These were likely obtained as trade goods in the form of dried fish.

And then there's "Uga kelp." Uga is said to refer to the area around present-day Hakodate Airport, near Shionoricho in Hakodate City. Even today, the area from here to the former Minamikayabe town is known as a producer of "true kelp." It can be said that Hokkaido kelp was already being branded around this time.

From the mid-Edo period onwards, kelp in Hokkaido was collected in various regions, including true kelp, Mitsuishi kelp in Hidaka, Rausu kelp in Nemuro and Shiretoko, and Rebun kelp, and was brought to Matsumae, becoming one of the main transports on the Kitamae ships. Official records from the early 19th century state that Rebun kelp was "the main product," and it was already being collected in large quantities at this time, but with the start of the Meiji period and the rise of aquaculture, even larger production became possible.

Rishiri Island, home of Rishiri kelp, and Otaru are approximately 220 km apart. However, exchanges between the two regions date back to at least the Satsumon period. Located between Sakhalin and Hokkaido, where two ocean currents flow, Rishiri and Rebun Islands played a major role as stopover points and refuge ports for people traveling from the north and south. Due to the number and content of ruins discovered on the two islands, they are even sometimes referred to as the "Okinoshima of the North."

Earrings made in Sakhalin discovered on Ranshima Island in Otaru, as well as the people who carved the intaglio paintings at Temiya Cave, must have also used this route. This connection was clearly demonstrated in the Battle of Shakushain in 1669. At that time, the Matsumae clan negotiated with Ainu people throughout Hokkaido not to cooperate with Shakushain.

There is a map showing the area of ​​influence of the Ainu in each region that was used at that time. According to this map, the area around Otaru was the territory of the Yoichi Ainu "Hachirouemon." The Ishikari region was under the influence of the "Haukase," but the area north of there, including Rishiri and Rebun, was the territory of "Hachirouemon."

Although it may seem "far away" in today's world, where land transportation is the norm, it was probably "on the other side" at the time, when sea transportation was the norm. This relationship continues into the modern era.

A regular shipping route connecting the commercial city of Otaru, located about 220 km away, with the northernmost island of Rishiri and Rebun was established in 1885 by the Kyodo Unyu Kaisha (later Nippon Yusen Kabushiki Kaisha) connecting Otaru with Soya, Rishiri and Rebun. In 1900, the Otaru-Wakkanai Line (Nippon Yusen) was opened as a year-round regular shipping route, which also called at Rishiri and Rebun.

This sea connection tapered off after the railway was extended to Wakkanai, but the Rishiri route, operated by Otaru's Fujiyama Kaiun, continued. In 1981, a car ferry operated on this section. From what I recall, it departed from the terminal at the base of Sakaimachi Pier late at night and arrived at Rishiri Island just before noon the following day. The Rishiri Ferry service ended in 1993.

For the people of Rishiri and Rebun, Otaru, not Asahikawa, was once the "closest city." As a result, many people chose to continue their education in high schools and vocational schools in Otaru. Also, during the herring season, many fishermen purchased the rights to set nets in Rishiri and Rebun to avoid risk during poor catches.

Konbu gave birth to food culture in Toyama, formed the basis of Japanese cuisine in Kyoto, supported a unique food culture in the Ryukyus, and became a valuable export item for Japan in China. It has traveled a longer journey than herring, supporting the cultures of various regions. Konbu from Rishiri Island is one such example. For a long time, Rishiri, Rebun, and Otaru were actually neighboring towns separated by the sea.

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