Abstract
Food gifts used as offerings for Confucian seasonal rites (33 times in both spring and autumn) and occasional rites (9 times in irregular seasons) mainly organized by Shunsui Rai (1746-1816), a Confucian of the Hiroshima feudal clan in the later Edo era, were investigated. These were presented by 14 blood and marriage relatives and 146 acquaintances. Two brothers of Shunsui contributed the most among the relatives. The acquaintances were pupils, colleagues in the Hiroshima feudal clan, and Confucians contacted by Shunsui during alternate-year visits to Edo city. One-third of the gifts were food products (sake, sweets, and tea) which could be kept for a while before consumption. More than half of the sea food and poultry was salted or dried for keeping longer than perishable products. Ducks and sweetfish presented by the Hiroshima feudal lord were also salted for more than two months before the rites. The fact that the number of gifts was maintained after Shunsui’s death indicates that the relationships were carried through to the subsequent generations of the Rai family.
