Shogun era food

Our question is...

What food was consumed during the shogun era of japan and how did the types of food change thorough the different feudal classes?

Japan's staple food

Bibliography

Http://www.samurai-archives.com/food.htlm

Http://www.cambridge.org/us/books/kiple/japan.htm

Http://www.japan-gudie.com/e/e2128

Htto://www.grips.ac.jp/teacher/oono/hp/lecture_J/lec02.htm

http://asianhistory.about.com/od/japan/p/ShogJapanClass.htm

The emperor and his family were at the top of the feudal pyramid. He was a figurehead with not much power but still the official leader of Japan, The emperor could eat whatever he wanted to.

Next came the warrior class, on the top of this class was the actual ruler of japan the seii taishōgun or shogun,

Rice has been the main staple food of Japan for 2000 years. Rice was so important, that it was considered a measure of wealth. There are many different types of rice, some of the main types of rice include....

In addition to rice: potatoes, radishes, cucumbers, beans, chestnuts, sour plums, apples, oranges and peaches were all staples. People in this time period also ate seafood like seaweed, carp, trout, tuna, octopus, jellyfish and clams. All of these foods were staple and some still are.

But there was still a massive gap between the samurais and the other classes. The farmers paid rice taxes to keep their 2nd place in the food chain.

Food in the Shogun

era of Japan

BY

Reuben

Brown

And

Patrick

Red seal ships

Red seal ships were Japanese armed merchant sailing ships bound for Southeast Asian ports with a red-sealed patent issued by the early Tokugawa shogunate in the first half of the 17th century. Between 1600 and 1635, more than 350 Japanese ships went overseas under this permit system.

Hakumai (white rice)

A picture of a Red seal ship.

White rice is rice that has been refined, another name for it is milled rice. Hakumai has had it's husk, bran and germ removed. Doing this alters the flavour, texture and appearance.

How did the food change thorough the different feudal classes?

Genmai (Brown rice)

The type of food did not change very much through the feudal classes. As it just depended on whether you could afford the food. What did change however was the amount of food which would depend again on how much you could afford

Brown rice is whole grain rice. It has a mild nutty flavour and is more chewier and more nutritious then white rice.

Mochigome (Glutinous rice)

The Edo period 1603-1867

Sake

Rice Tax

Farmers in japan had to pay a rice tax. This equated to about half of farmers produce.

Glutinous rice is manly consumed in East Asia. It has opaque grains. Mochigome rice is also very (surprise, surprise) sticky when cooked.

From the late 12th century to the 17th century the shoguns ruled Japan. But while the shoguns have been ruled Japan there was many internal wars and power shifts. Especially during the 15th century to the 16th century.

Sake was one of the most popular drinks among people along with tea. Sake was made from rice and was usually made during winter. Over the centuries people made many different variations of sake, but generally the alcoholic percentage of the drink tended to lower over time. But at the same time, the Japanese diet would heighten the effects of the alcohol that was present in their systems.

Drinking was also very common in this time. Being drunk was indecent and yet it was also impolite to not get drunk at a gathering.

This painting depicts farmers

paying their rice tax to the

local daimyo.

This is a picture of "Tokugawa Ieyasu, The first" of the Edo period.