Mushroom Picking of a Small Town in the 19 th Century

Abstract

This paper deals with mushroom picking documented in a diary by Katsunosuke Watanabe, a low class sordsman lived in Kashiwazaki, a small town in northern Japan, in the middle of the 19 th century. The results are:
1. Both mushroom picking and tasting attracted many towns people.
2. They went to the hills around the town in small groups with their family and friends in autumn. Children also enjoyed mushroom picking.
3. The mushroom was used as food, including preserve for winter, and as gifts to friends and neighbors. The mushroom also played an important role showing off individual skill and luck in mushroom picking.
4. Some mushroom pickings were accompanied with open-air feasts.