The Structure of the Menus and the Dishes at Banquets Related to Motonari Mouri during Japan’s Warring States Period

Abstract

This study conducted a comparative examination of banquet menus recorded in four historical documents related to Motonari Mouri during Japan's Warring States period: Motonari-kō Yamaguchi go-Gekō no Setsu Kyōō Shidai, Masuda Fujikane Dō Motoyoshi Aki Yoshida Ikkon Tegumi Chūmon, Meiō Kyū-nen San-gatsu Itsuka Shōgun o-Nari Zasshō Chūmon, and Terumoto-sama Juraku o-Tei-he Hideyoshi-kō o-Nari Ki.

While the number of trays served during the main and accompanying sake portions of the banquets differed among the four documents, the number of soups and dishes served on the main and second trays remained consistent. In the main portion of the banquets, the menus included pickled vegetables, fukume-dai (sea bream), konoko (sea cucumber ovaries), and kamaboko (fish paste cake). As for the dishes that accompanied the sake, zōni was served on the first tray, while mugi was served on the tenshin trays. The arrangement of items on the trays typically placed wild bird and fish in the front, with shellfish, shrimp, and jellyfish dishes positioned at the far side. Despite these similarities, there were also notable differences between the four banquets. For instance, in the Meiō Kyū-nen San-gatsu Itsuka Shōgun o-Nari Zasshō Chūmon, rice was served as o-wake no Kugo on the third tray, and on the tenshin trays, four kinds of kan were served, in addition to sanhosen, manjyu and mushi-mugi.