Until the early Edo period villagers had harvested naturally growing algae by hand (in the 8thC it is recorded that some fishermen paid their taxes to the emperor in kelp), but farming allowed for cheaper and more readily available seaweed (a valuable food source in winter).

#seaweed #wakame #nori

The paper-making industry would inspire the creation of nori (海苔) in the 18thC.
Using similar techniques to paper production, seaweed was shredded, moulded and dried on racks, creating sheets of edible algae.
Nori would come to play an important role in Japanese cuisine🙌

#海苔 #nori #laver #seaweed

Opening a bamboo wrap to reveal delicious onigiri inside.
Opening a bamboo wrap to reveal delicious onigiri inside.

To provide fresh fish for shōgun Tokugawa Ieyasu (徳川家康 1543-1616), bamboo pens were constructed in Edo Bay to hold live catches.
It was discovered that seaweed thrived on the bamboo fences, and soon fishing communities were actively farming the algae on sunken wooden frames.

#seaweed#Edo #江戸 #徳川家康

Until the early Edo period villagers had harvested naturally growing algae by hand (in the 8thC it is recorded that some fishermen paid their taxes to the emperor in kelp), but farming allowed for cheaper and more readily available seaweed (a valuable food source in winter).

#seaweed #wakame #nori