Oysters

Koichiro Okata

Secretary General of Hiroshima Keio Club, 1990 Faculty of Business and Commerce

Hiroshima Prefecture ranks first in Japan for oyster production, accounting for more than half of the national output. The history of eating oysters in Hiroshima is long; shells excavated from shell mounds show that natural oysters were eaten as far back as the Jomon and Yayoi periods. It is also believed that aquaculture began in the 1500s to 1600s. The bays in this area provide ideal conditions for oyster growth, including moderate tidal currents, the inflow of rivers that creates layers of lower salinity during the rainy and summer seasons, and the influx of nutrients from the Chugoku Mountains.

There are three theories regarding the origin of the name "Oyster Dotenabe" (Oyster Bank Hot Pot), which is characterized by adjusting the flavor by breaking down the miso spread around the rim of the pot. The first is that the miso is applied to the inside of the pot like a "dote" (bank or embankment). The second is that the dish was invented by a man named Nagayoshi Dote. The third is that during the Edo period, oyster boats transporting Hiroshima oysters to Osaka served the hot pot on the riverbanks (dote).

I hope everyone will come to Hiroshima and give it a taste.

Tamotsu Nakao

Representative Director of Virtus Co., Ltd., 2000 Faculty of Letters

White wine for oysters. That is what wine textbooks say, and until a few years ago, I thought it was common sense as well. However, in the recent wine industry, pairing oysters with red wine—specifically the Gamay grape used in Beaujolais—has become a standard. Why has the wine paired with oysters changed, even among professionals?

Through my work, I have visited wineries in various countries and eaten dishes using a wide range of wines and ingredients. What I feel particularly strongly lately is that the options for both wine and ingredients are increasing rapidly. At an oyster specialty shop I visited in Melbourne, they offered over 12 types of oysters categorized into three main types—ROCK, PACIFIC, and ANGASI—with a diverse wine lineup from Europe, Japan, and other parts of Asia. I enjoyed the rich, heavy ROCK with Chardonnay, the mellow PACIFIC with Sauvignon Blanc, and the punchy, unique ANGASI with a red Syrah. Compared to times when I didn't pay attention to the specific types of ingredients or wine, I truly felt that I have come to value the details.

Takuya Takahata

Director of Reblue Co., Ltd., 2012 Faculty of Policy Management

Oysters, Japan's oldest aquaculture item, are reaching a turning point with the spread of a method called the "single-seed system." Traditional aquaculture involves attaching floating larvae to scallop shells and hanging them from rafts. In this method, oyster growth is heavily influenced by fluctuations in the natural environment, making stable production difficult in the current climate.

In contrast, the "single-seed system" adopted by Reblue involves raising oysters individually from the larval stage, sorting and separating them as they grow. This has made it possible to guarantee the target size and production volume. Furthermore, the introduction of "artificial seedlings" has enabled aquaculture that adapts to changes in the marine environment—such as seedlings that can be eaten even in summer and offshore deployment at appropriate times—leading to successful farming even in sea areas previously considered barren for oysters. This case has met the expectations of coastal areas nationwide, and know-how and seedlings are being deployed across various regions. The growth range for oysters is wide and spans the globe. Japan's fisheries industry once boasted the world's top position in "catching" fisheries. Next, I want to open up a world-leading fisheries industry through "cultivating" fisheries.

Chiaki Hanabusa

Professor, Faculty of Business and Commerce, Keio University

In Shakespeare's play "Antony and Cleopatra," there is a line where Antony gives an "oyster" to the Queen of Egypt as a token of love. If this were a literal "oyster," it would be a somewhat difficult gift to understand, but another line reveals it is actually a "pearl." In "As You Like It," we also see the expression "rich honesty dwells like a miser, sir, in a poor house, as your pearl in your foul oyster." In fact, "oyster" was a general term for bivalves that included not only edible oysters but also pearl oysters (Akoya pearls, silver-lipped pearls, etc.), and it seems the two were not clearly distinguished.

In "The Merry Wives of Windsor," Pistol, a henchman of the protagonist Falstaff, is refused a loan by his boss, who says, "I will not lend thee a penny." Pistol replies, "Why, then the world's mine oyster," boasting that he will obtain the pearl (wealth and profit) by his own strength. Today, it is often used to mean "the world is at one's command." On the other hand, in "Richard II," there is a mention of an oyster-wench. I wonder what kind of voices reached the ears of the Bard as he walked the streets of London.