History of Japanese Goldfish Culture and Selective Breeding from the Edo Period
From the introduction during the Muromachi period through Edo's "goldfish vendor" culture to modern scientific breeding. This article explores the historical background that gave rise to Japan's world-renowned diversity of goldfish varieties and how these traditions continue today.
Key Takeaways
From the introduction during the Muromachi period through Edo's "goldfish vendor" culture to modern scientific breeding. This article explores the historical background that gave rise to Japan's world-renowned diversity of goldfish varieties and how these traditions continue today.
Related Species
While goldfish today are kept as popular pets worldwide, Japan holds one of the top positions in the diversity of its varieties. From the calls of goldfish vendors that once adorned the streets of Edo to the precise breeding practices of modern breeders, Japanese goldfish culture spans approximately 500 years of history.
Origin and Introduction of Goldfish to Japan
The goldfish's ancestor is believed to originate from red crucian carp mutations that were protected and selectively bred in China during the Tang Dynasty (618–907 CE). The practice of keeping reddish specimens in ponds and jars, viewing them as sacred, spread during the Song Dynasty (960–1279), and by the Ming Dynasty (1368–1644), selective breeding became systematic, with traits such as shortened bodies, upward-gazing eyes, and elongated fins becoming fixed in the bloodline.
Goldfish are believed to have been introduced to Japan around Bunmei 1 (1469), near the end of the Muromachi period, as trade goods from Ming China (though other theories exist). Initially treated as ornamental fish for the imperial court and nobility, the name "kingyo" (goldfish) became established due to their glittering golden color. It was only with the arrival of the Edo period that these fish became accessible to common people.
Edo Period Goldfish Culture
From the 17th to 18th centuries, the popularization of goldfish accelerated rapidly in Edo (present-day Tokyo). During summer, "goldfish vendors" carrying tanks on yokes and calling out "Kingyo ei, kingyo~" became a seasonal symbol of Edo life. They appear in numerous ukiyo-e woodblock prints, with depictions remaining in works by Katsushika Hokusai and Utagawa Hiroshige.
What supported Edo's goldfish culture was the formation of goldfish breeding regions centered in Musashi Province (present-day Saitama Prefecture's Ohsato District). Farmers throughout the Kanto region established a system where they bred and raised goldfish as a winter side business, shipping them to Edo from spring through summer. This region became renowned as the "Ohsato District goldfish" and became the foundation for later goldfish production in Saitama.
Goldfish culture also flourished during the same period in the Osaka region. Yamato Koriyama (present-day Nara Prefecture) developed as a goldfish production center from the Kyoho period (1716–1736) and remains known today as "the goldfish city." Varieties and rearing techniques that developed independently in Edo and Kamigata (Osaka and Kyoto) mutually influenced each other, giving rise to distinctly Japanese goldfish breeds.
