Abstract
The 'Japanese Useful Fisheries Classification Table', published in advance before the publication of the "Useful Fisheries of Japan", is the first data to classify and introduce fisheries animals and plants in a single table. Therefore, it had received public attention immediately. However, The academy of animal studies at that time quickly pointed out that this classification table was a mixture of traditional and modern classifications, and that there were too many errors. However, Yoshio Tanaka, who was in charge of revising Yamamoto Arikatana, that wrote the classification table, was not an adherent of traditional taxonomy, nor was he ignorant of modern taxonomy. Nevertheless, the classification table, which was quite different from the well-known zoological classification at that time, was prepared. For example, the top classifications of marine organism are not at the same level, but rather a mixture of phylum and class, while the water insect contains several phylums, including Arthropoda, Echinodermata, Mollusca, and Coelenterata. As such, the method of classification of animals in the classification table was hard to understand in the zoological academy at that time. The reason for this unusual taxonomy was that the classification table showed classification of useful fisheries products, not intended to convey academic classification. In other words, it is not for the purpose of academic classification of all fishery products, but for the purpose of presenting standards that can be easily understood by those engaged in the collection, manufacture, and aquaculture of fishery products. This principle of 'Useful Fisheries of Japan' is also ascertained in the "Fishing Methods of Japan" and "Fishery Products of Japan". Regarding the collection and processing of marine products, it could have shown how to catch whales, which are mammals, and how to dismantle whales and obtain oil and meat, according to academic classifications. However, the first appearances in the book include dried squid, abalone, shark fins, and sea cucumbers. In other words, the most important fishery products at that time are presented first. The contents of the classification table, which is considered somewhat bizarre, show where the purpose to compile Useful Fisheries of Japan.
