Crane hunting in the Edo period: The case of the hunting with a hunting rules and a gun and the trap

Abstract

 This paper has mainly studied the actual condition of crane hunting during the Edo period by investigating various rules and specific hunting methods about crane hunting. The systems of crane hunting were not unified all around the country, and different hunting system worked in each domain. In some domain, commoners were also permitted to capture crane under certain rules, but the cranes captured belonged to the lord and all the cranes were eventually gathered to the lord in such systems. It is speculated that the crane hunting activities for the purpose of private use (livelihood or entertainment, etc.) that did not benefit the lord were banned during the Edo period instead of prohibiting hunting cranes all together. In addition, the methods for hunting cranes included gun hunting using a wooden decoy, hunting with nets or traps beside the well-known falconry.