Oysters

2024/11/28

Koichiro Okata

Secretary General of Hiroshima Keio Club, 1990 Faculty of Business and Commerce

Hiroshima Prefecture ranks first in Japan for oyster production, accounting for more than half of the national total. The history of eating oysters in Hiroshima is long; shells excavated from shell mounds show that natural oysters were eaten as far back as the Jomon and Yayoi periods. It is believed that aquaculture began in the 1500s to 1600s. The bays in this area have ideal conditions for oyster growth, including moderate tidal currents, the inflow of rivers that creates layers of lower salinity during the rainy and summer seasons, and the influx of nutrients from the Chugoku Mountains.

"Oyster Dotenabe" is characterized by a style of eating where the miso spread on the rim of the pot is gradually broken down to adjust the flavor. There are three theories regarding the origin of the name. First, because the miso is spread inside the pot like a "dote" (embankment). Second, because the person who invented this dish was named Nagayoshi Dote. Third, it is said that during the Edo period, oyster boats transporting Hiroshima oysters to Osaka served the hot pot on the river embankments (dote).

I hope everyone will come to Hiroshima and taste it for themselves.

Tamotsu Nakao

Representative Director of Virtus Co., Ltd., 2000 Faculty of Letters

White wine for oysters. That is what wine textbooks say, and until a few years ago, I thought it was common sense too. However, in the recent wine industry, pairing oysters with red wine—specifically the Gamay grape used in Beaujolais—has become a standard. Why has the wine paired with oysters changed recently, even among professionals?

Through my work, I have visited wineries in various countries and eaten dishes using various wines and ingredients. What I particularly feel lately is that the options for wine and ingredients are increasing rapidly. At an oyster specialty shop I visited in Melbourne, more than 12 types of oysters categorized into three types—ROCK, PACIFIC, and ANGASI—were served, and the wine lineup was diverse, including Europe, Japan, and other parts of Asia. While enjoying Chardonnay with the rich-tasting ROCK, Sauvignon Blanc with the mellow PACIFIC, and red Syrah with the punchy ANGASI, I realized that we have come to value details much more compared to when we didn't mention the specific types of ingredients or wine.

Takuya Takahata

Representative Director of Reblue Co., Ltd., 2012 Faculty of Policy Management

Oysters, Japan's oldest aquaculture item, are reaching a turning point. This is the spread of a method called the "single-seed" system. Conventional aquaculture involves attaching floating larvae to scallop shells and hanging them from rafts. In this method, the growth of oysters is greatly affected by fluctuations in the natural environment, making stable production difficult.

In contrast, the "single-seed system" adopted by Reblue involves growing each oyster individually from the larval stage, sorting and dividing them according to their growth. This has made it possible to guarantee the target size and production volume. Furthermore, the introduction of "artificial seedlings" has enabled aquaculture that adapts to changes in the marine environment—such as seedlings that can be eaten even in summer and offshore deployment at appropriate times—achieving successful farming even in sea areas previously considered barren for oysters. This case has met the expectations of coastal areas nationwide, and know-how and seedlings are being deployed across various regions. The growth range of oysters is wide and spans the globe. Japan's fishing industry once boasted the world's top position in "harvesting" fisheries. Next, I want to open up the world's best industry through "cultivating" fisheries.

Chiaki Hanabusa

Professor, Keio University Faculty of Business and Commerce

In Shakespeare's play "Antony and Cleopatra," there is a line where Antony gives an "oyster" to the Queen of Egypt as a token of love. If this were a literal "oyster," it would be a somewhat difficult gift to understand, but other lines reveal it is actually a "pearl." In "As You Like It," we also see the expression "rich honesty dwells like a miser, sir, in a poor house; as your pearl in your foul oyster." In fact, "oyster" was a general term for bivalves that included not only the edible oyster but also pearl oysters (Akoya, Pinctada maxima, etc.), and it seems the two were not clearly distinguished.

In "The Merry Wives of Windsor," Pistol, a henchman of the protagonist Falstaff, is refused a loan by his boss, who says, "I will not lend thee a penny." Pistol replies, "Why, then the world's mine oyster," boasting that he will obtain pearls (= wealth, profit) by his own strength. Today, it is often used to mean "the world is at one's command." On the other hand, in "Richard II," there is also a mention of an oyster-wench. What kind of voices did Shakespeare hear as he walked the streets of London?