On a Saturday when the pleasant signs of autumn were finally beginning to appear, I headed to Yakumo Saryo to participate in an event held to commemorate the publication of a modern-day translation of Bimikyuushin, a best-seller from its time when it was published 100 years ago in 1925.
The first half of this event will feature a cross-talk between Kawata Yoshihide, who translated Bimikyushin into modern Japanese, and biologist Fukuoka Shinichi, followed by the enjoyment of food inspired by Bimikyushin, along with wine and sake.
On an autumn day, after walking about 10 minutes from Toritsudaigaku Station, the Yakumo Saryo came into view.
Yakumo Saryo Umeshinka is constantly bustling with customers looking to buy high-quality fresh sweets and other treats.
``Delicious Kyushin''
A bestselling book that describes the universe of food culture that emerged during the Taisho era
"Bimikyushin" is a large work about food culture that was published in 1925. It is a highly knowledgeable book that explores the themes of food, spanning Japanese, Chinese, and Western culture and history, and incorporating scientific, philosophical, and artistic perspectives. The author, Kinoshita Kenjiro, was a politician from Oita Prefecture who served as a member of the House of Peers and the House of Representatives, and was also known as a gourmet.
Kawata Yoshihide says that he came across "Bimikyushin" when he was researching all kinds of literature on food, driven by his interest in food. We asked him why he decided to translate it into modern Japanese.
"Bimikyushin is a wonderful book on food research that looks at everything from the ecology of plants and animals to culture, history, science, and ethics through food. However, it was written in a literary style, and I had to decipher the Chinese texts that were quoted, which made it difficult to read. One of the reasons I decided to translate it into modern Japanese was that I wanted to deepen my own understanding."
Biologist FukuCross talk with Shinichi Oka
The crosstalk began with Fukuoka Shinichi reading a portion of the preface to "Bimikyushin." Fukuoka and Kawada shared with us author Kinoshita Kenjiro's perspective on food culture from various angles.
A conversation between Yoshihide Kawata and Shinichi Fukuoka. The guests' intellectual curiosity was stimulated by the idea that life cannot be explained by logos alone, but that it circulates through physis.
"Kinoshita is a scientist and literary scholar who focuses on logos (language) and physis (nature). Humans are at the top of all living things because they have been transformed into logos. However, living, dying, eating, and existential things cannot be transformed into logos; they are physis itself," said Fukuoka. He said the book will likely be one of the most talked-about books in the reading world this year.
A variety of dishes that pay homage to Kinoshita Kenjiro
After the crosstalk, a selection of dishes created by Yakumo Saryo's head chef, Umehara Jinnosuke, based on the theme of "Bimikyushin" (the pursuit of true goodness), was served.
The pairing for this day was from Ajimu Winery in Oita. The author, Kinoshita Kenjiro, as well as Kawada who translated it into modern Japanese and head chef Umehara are all from Oita Prefecture. The pairing was very tasteful, as it felt like an homage to Kinoshita from Oita's food connoisseurs.
The meal begins with "Saitei Inaho" sweet sake, Mangetsumochi. Mangetsumochi is the variety of rice that the Emperor plants within the Imperial Palace. The sweet sake had a natural, gentle sweetness.
"The truth is elimination - death" Usuki Fried Fugu with Rice Bran Pickled Shichimi Pepper Ovary enjoyed two different textures: crispy on the outside and soft and fluffy flesh of the fugu inside. It was delicious on its own, but adding the spice of the rice bran pickled shichimi ovary gave it a different flavor.
"Edo Gourmet" Grilled Spanish Mackerel with Miso and Yuzu Anko, Lotus Root Mochi. The yuzu paste is a combination of Spanish mackerel and the sweetness of the miso and the moderate acidity of the yuzu. I suddenly thought that sweetness might be a characteristic of Japanese cuisine. The sticky lotus root mochi also went well with it.
We had the turtle stew with rice that was offered to Ise Shrine. The turtle stew was Edo-style, seasoned with a strong soy sauce flavor that went perfectly with the rice.
On this day, Koji Furuya of Ajimu Winery selected and served wines and sake to go with all the dishes.
"Bimikyushin" is a monumental work left behind by Kinoshita Kenjiro, a giant of knowledge who wrote about the vast universe of food. Upon learning of the existence of this book, which has transcended 100 years of time and, far from becoming outdated, offers a fresh perspective for us today, I immediately wanted to pick it up. As Fukuoka Shinichi said, it would be interesting to assign it to a reading group and discuss it together.
Modern Japanese translation of Bimikyushin (Meat Seekers) by Kenjiro Kinoshita, translated by Yoshihide Kawada, published by Pararyudo, 7,000 yen + tax
Chisa Nakajima
Daili, aka Editor N, is the editor-in-chief of Premium Japan. He loves watching Japanese movies from the 1950s and 60s and drinking wine. He's a bit of an otaku whose hobby is collecting postwar women's magazines.
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