Edo Jidai Trivia

[pipokun]

That was in fact more theoretical. I never quite understood why the samurai had to keep their sword and live around the lord's castle in such a prolonged time of peace if there was really no risk of rebellion.

yeah, i know you knew.
I don't know if it was just a sort of noblesse oblige for the samurai class, esp. lower ranked samurai to stay poor.
They should have exploited the people more like other countries...

Engelbert Kämpfer, a German scientist and doctor, wrote "The history of Japan". I heard there are a lot of discrepancies between the original and the Eng translation.
Interesting enough, the evaluation of his book completely changed before/after the Enlightment in Europe. And the Japanese read it and some encouraged the positive view on "sakoku"　in the early 19C and it might bring "Revere the Emperor, Expel the Barbarians" policy.

[pipokun]

Some of you may know Takeru Kobayashi, the Nathan's champion. In the Edo period, stupid food eating bouts/sake drinking bouts also conducted.

Sake bout
I pick up female results.
Miyo drank 0.7 gallons of sake without showing her drunken face.
Sumi drank 1.1 gallons of sake.
Oiku and Ofun also drank a lot of sake all days.

不許悪客（下戸、理屈）入庵門
This means no bad-mannered drinker, getting angry, sleep, crying after drinking incl. non-drinkers or people argumentative by nature in the bout.

Food bout
Kichizo, aged 74, ate 54 bowls of rice with 58 chilies.
Kanemon ate 50 manju dumplings, 7 bars of Yokan sweet jellied adzuki-bean paste, 30 rice dumpling and 19 cups of tea

I tried 1 kilo curry a while ago, but in fail. I was confident at first, but I left 2 or 3 more spoons of curry, and I had to pay a 2000yen fine in the end.

[pipokun]

Who's the best shogun in the Edo era would be a tough question, I suppose.

8th shogun Yoshimune ordered to plant lots of sakura trees in the city for Edo people to enjoy sakura viewing party.
A classic rakugo comedy story, Nagaya no Hanami, or poor tenants' sakura viewing party is my favorite story which enables me to imagine what the Edo people though or laughed at. It would be hard to tranlate the last part of the story, but really a funny story, so try to read it when you study Japanese.

11th shogun Ienari kept 40 concubines and 55 kids! Under his influence, the Kasei culure was also in full bloom. His favrite food was dairy products.
Do I drink more milk for another 39 partners? One partner is ok for me...