The trade area of fish fertilizer wholesalers in Uraga during the Edo period.

Abstract

Japanese agriculture in the Edo period substantially depended on the fish fertilizer. In every agrarian village in those days land was continuously cultivated without fallow and fertilizer application was necessary to maintain the soil fertility. As the grass fertilizer from woodlands was limited, a demand for fish fertilizer expanded. Sardine fisheries developed along the south and east coast of the Kanto District, where many wholesalers specialized in sardine fertilizers. Wholesalers in Edo and Uraga played a very important role in the distribution of the fish fertilizer. -from English summary