Otaru City Museum Director Naoaki Ishikawa Updated 31 March 2021

During the Edo period, maritime trade flourished not only on the Nishikigoi route known as the Kitamae-bune, but also on coastal routes known as the Hishigaki-kaisen and Taru-kaisen. It is said that the structure of these ships made them unsuitable for long-distance voyages, but until the mid-Edo period, the problem lay in the sails.

At that time, regardless of the size of the ship, sails were made of either straw mats or sashiko, which was made by layering and sewing together several layers of cotton cloth. Although the latter was more durable, it took a lot of effort to sashiko the entire surface of a large sail, and the durability was not yet reliable compared to the effort required.

In the 18th century, in 1785, Matsuemon Kogaku (Mikageya) of Takasago, Harima Province (present-day Takasago City, Hyogo Prefecture) developed the "Matsuemon Sail," which can be said to be the prototype of modern canvas.Matsuemon Sails were created by weaving thick, wide canvas using cotton that was a specialty of Banshu, and they quickly became popular on ships all over the country.

This was largely due to Matsuemon's decision to open up his manufacturing method to the public. This dramatically increased the safe distances of coastal shipping routes. It is no exaggeration to say that the success of Omi merchants and the prosperity of shipowning communities in the Hokuriku region were brought about by this improvement in sails. Canvas production also became established in cotton-producing areas.

From the second half of the 18th century, the coastal areas of Shiribeshi became a central fishing ground for herring, and huge catches have been recorded. The invention of the square net led to the industry's peak, especially after the Meiji period. During this period, 80 to 90 percent of the herring was processed into fish fertilizer, such as fish cake, and shipped to Honshu and other areas, bringing in enormous wealth. In other words, herring fishing was far more about producing fertilizer than it was about producing food.

Of course, herring has been an important food source for Ainu society since the Jomon period, and herring bones are often found among the artifacts excavated from ruins. However, from the mid-Edo period, the Wajin began fishing with large nets with the aim of producing fertilizer.

The use of herring fertilizer began in Omi in the first half of the 18th century, spreading throughout the Kinki region by the second half of the century, and as far as the Hokuriku and Setouchi regions by the mid-19th century. Initially, fertilizer products included herring (the head and spine after the flesh has been removed), herring gills, and soft roe, but when "shimekasu," made by boiling and pressing herring, became widespread in the early 19th century, herring shimekasu, which has a long shelf life and is highly nutritious, saw a significant expansion in sales channels.

Around 1877, the production volumes of herring and herring-killed meal surpassed each other. According to statistics from 1905, herring sales amounted to just over 8.11 million yen, accounting for 66% of all seafood products. Of this, herring-killed meal alone accounted for 5.56 million yen. Incidentally, industrial production in Hokkaido that year was 9.86 million yen, and coal output was just over 7 million yen. This shows that herring-killed meal production was a major industry.

This shimekasu was transported to various ports in the Hokuriku region and the Setouchi region along the traditional sea routes that had been used since the Kitamae-bune era. It was then used to cultivate commercial crops such as cotton, indigo, and rapeseed. In particular, indigo and cotton were the main products from the end of the Edo period to the early Meiji period.

When you think of Kurashiki City in Okayama Prefecture, you think of the famous Ivy Square along the Kurashiki River, and many people will recall the Namako Wall and the Ohara Museum of Art. Ivy Square was originally the site of the Kurashiki Spinning Mill, but why was this magnificent spinning mill located in Kurashiki?

There is another area in Kurashiki where traditional buildings are preserved. It is the Shimotsui area facing the Seto Inland Sea. Shimotsui flourished as a port town on the Seto Inland Sea route since before the Edo period, but due to land reclamation projects that began around the 17th century, it was also an area with vast farmland in the surrounding area. However, this farmland contained a lot of salt and was not suitable for rice cultivation.

They began cultivating cotton and rapeseed, which could grow in salty soil and were in high demand at the time as commercial activity expanded. The former Kurashiki Spinning Mill was built in this center of cotton production, introducing Western technology.

Along with mulberry, cotton and rapeseed were also crops that were often used for herring-killed meal. This herring-killed meal was also transported in large quantities to Shimotsui, and storehouses for storing it were built one after another in the town of Shimotsui. The herring storehouse, which has now been restored and is called "Old Shimotsui Shipping Wholesaler," was a commercial warehouse owned by the Ogino family (Nishi-Ogino family).

Since the late Edo period, the Ogino family has been engaged in the warehousing business (earning rent for storing herring lees brought in by Kitamae ships) and finance. The extent to which this brought them enormous wealth can be seen in the collection of the Ogino Museum in Shimotsui (which mainly houses the former possessions of the Higashi Ogino family).

For a time, canvas production declined due to the decline of sailing ships and the spread of waterproof sheets made from synthetic fibers. However, the development of new products such as bags using the technology progressed, and canvas has been revived as a new brand in Takasago City, Matsuemon's hometown. Kurashiki's canvas production now accounts for 70% of the country's total, and the technology has been passed down to jeans, which have become a global regional brand.

The herring storehouse, which remains in this peaceful small town in the Seto Inland Sea, lined with storehouses with white sea cucumber walls, offers a completely different view from the coast of Shiribeshi where it all began.However, this also gives a real sense of how herring lees were desired by farmers in faraway places and how they were transported there.

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