During the Edo period, coffee entered Dejima, Nagasaki, and it is said that some of the Japanese people who interacted with the Dutch liked coffee. However, they left no records.
On the other hand, the first record of actually drinking coffee and writing down his impressions is said to be by Nanpo Ota, also known as Shokusanjin, a famous Edo period literary figure.
On the other hand, the first record of actually drinking coffee and writing down his impressions is said to be by Nanpo Ota, also known as Shokusanjin, a famous Edo period literary figure.
Experience Ota Nanpo, famous throughout Japan
Ota Nanpo (National Diet Library collection)
Nanpo Ota (year of birth and death: 1749-1823), who was active during the mid-Edo period, was a cultural figure who was all the rage as a master of Kyoka, and was also known as a playwright and scholar.
He was a central figure in the glamorous Edo publishing world, who had connections with Hiraga Gennai, Santokyen, publisher Tsutaya Juzaburo, and ukiyo-e artist Kitagawa Utamaro, and was a lower-ranking samurai. Interactions that transcended social status were born among the townspeople, and various literary arts flourished.
He also wrote down all the things he saw, such as incidents and rumors from his time, and made a great contribution to passing on the various customs and events of the time to future generations.
It was because Nanpo was so curious that when he was served coffee on a Dutch ship in Nagasaki, he bravely took up the challenge and wrote down his impressions.
So, to give you my impressions, let's take a look at that section from ``Keiho Yuutetsu'' published in 1805 (Bunka 2). This is recorded as an event on August 9, the year before publication.
He was a central figure in the glamorous Edo publishing world, who had connections with Hiraga Gennai, Santokyen, publisher Tsutaya Juzaburo, and ukiyo-e artist Kitagawa Utamaro, and was a lower-ranking samurai. Interactions that transcended social status were born among the townspeople, and various literary arts flourished.
He also wrote down all the things he saw, such as incidents and rumors from his time, and made a great contribution to passing on the various customs and events of the time to future generations.
It was because Nanpo was so curious that when he was served coffee on a Dutch ship in Nagasaki, he bravely took up the challenge and wrote down his impressions.
So, to give you my impressions, let's take a look at that section from ``Keiho Yuutetsu'' published in 1805 (Bunka 2). This is recorded as an event on August 9, the year before publication.
On the Kogebune, we were offered something called ``kauhi'', which is made by roasting black beans, grinding them into powder, and mixing them with white sugar.
Nanpo was said to be quite a gourmet food back then, but the taste of his first cup of coffee was rather bitter.
Why could I drink coffee?
Now, no matter how famous a person of culture may be, boarding a Dutch ship in Nagasaki was not something he could have done at a time when strict foreign policy was in place.
The reason why Nanpo had the opportunity to drink coffee was because at the time, he was a government official working at the Nagasaki Magistrate's Office.
Born into the family of a low-ranking shogunate retainer, Nanpo excelled in academics and became famous in the field of literature, but during the day he worked as a retainer of the shogunate.
At the age of 41, he took the ``Academic Examination'', which was started by Roju Sadanobu Matsudaira as a means of recruiting personnel, and passed with the top rank in the lower samurai category, and was appointed to the control account, the central financial department of the shogunate. It was.
Later, at the age of 53, he was dispatched to the Osaka Doza, and at the age of 56, he was dispatched to the Nagasaki Magistrate's Office, staying in Nagasaki for one year. During this time, I had the opportunity to taste coffee on a Dutch ship.
By the way, although Nanpo held positions with many benefits, such as Doza, which was in charge of copper casting, and Nagasaki Magistrate, which was in charge of trade with the Netherlands, it is said that he was an honest official who never enriched his personal fortune.
The reason why Nanpo had the opportunity to drink coffee was because at the time, he was a government official working at the Nagasaki Magistrate's Office.
Born into the family of a low-ranking shogunate retainer, Nanpo excelled in academics and became famous in the field of literature, but during the day he worked as a retainer of the shogunate.
At the age of 41, he took the ``Academic Examination'', which was started by Roju Sadanobu Matsudaira as a means of recruiting personnel, and passed with the top rank in the lower samurai category, and was appointed to the control account, the central financial department of the shogunate. It was.
Later, at the age of 53, he was dispatched to the Osaka Doza, and at the age of 56, he was dispatched to the Nagasaki Magistrate's Office, staying in Nagasaki for one year. During this time, I had the opportunity to taste coffee on a Dutch ship.
By the way, although Nanpo held positions with many benefits, such as Doza, which was in charge of copper casting, and Nagasaki Magistrate, which was in charge of trade with the Netherlands, it is said that he was an honest official who never enriched his personal fortune.
Impressions by Eiichi Shibusawa at the end of the Edo period
Although there are mentions of coffee in books from the Edo period, there seems to be no record of its consumption.
This changed at the end of the Edo period, when Japanese people began to travel overseas as envoys and as students. Many of the records of these people describe the meals they ate while traveling, and there are many articles about unusual Western food.
Of course, coffee will also be included. If there is one famous person among them, there is Eiichi Shibusawa, who is said to be the father of Japanese capitalism.
This changed at the end of the Edo period, when Japanese people began to travel overseas as envoys and as students. Many of the records of these people describe the meals they ate while traveling, and there are many articles about unusual Western food.
Of course, coffee will also be included. If there is one famous person among them, there is Eiichi Shibusawa, who is said to be the father of Japanese capitalism.
Eiichi Shibusawa, who served the Shogunate at the end of the Edo period, accompanied Akitake Tokugawa to France in 1867. In writing about the meal he had on the French ship he boarded from Yokohama, he wrote, ``After the meal, we serve a cup of hot water made from beans called caffee. Mix it with sugar and milk and drink it. It leaves your heart feeling refreshed.'' .
Eiichi Shibusawa's coffee experience left a good impression from the beginning, perhaps because he was more accustomed to Western culture.
Incidentally, Shibusawa learned of the Meiji Restoration in Japan during his stay in France, and upon returning to Japan, he worked hard to modernize Japan.
Eiichi Shibusawa's coffee experience left a good impression from the beginning, perhaps because he was more accustomed to Western culture.
Incidentally, Shibusawa learned of the Meiji Restoration in Japan during his stay in France, and upon returning to Japan, he worked hard to modernize Japan.
