A History Lesson With Otaku Elf

 A History Lesson With 

Otaku Elf

     Welcome back to Beyond The Anime! This four-part segment focusing on Japanese history was inspired by a new show from the current Spring 2023 anime season - Otaku Elf. The story follows Elda, an immortal elf summoned to Japan 400 years ago, and Koito, who serves as her shrine maiden. In between the cheerful slice-of-life scenes, Elda often comments on the history of Japan as she remembers it - facts which are actually true to life, making this show both entertaining and educational. My post will explore in detail the historical tidbits mentioned in the first three episodes of Otaku Elf. Spoilers ahead!

    By her explanation, Elda was summoned to Japan 400 years ago in the Edo period (1603-1868) by Ieyasu Tokugawa, whom she affectionately refers to as "Ieyasu-kun". The timeline itself is interesting here because Elda would have first arrived in Japan during Tokugawa's rule, sometime between the years of 1603 and his death in 1616. Tokugawa was at least in his sixties at the time, so the childlike nickname Elda gave him is even more amusing, though it makes sense for an immortal elf to view someone sixty years of age as young compared to her. According to Elda, Tokugawa asked her to watch over Edo and the country in his stead.

    The Edo period was known as a time of economic growth and saw increases in agriculture, commerce and manufacturing. Merchants thrived, and cities like Edo became the center of a growing urban culture that Elda describes in her memories of the past.

Elda's favorite collectibles during the Meiji era

   Hikifuda cards, which Elda collects with all the enthusiasm of a child building their collection of Pokémon cards, really do exist as antique Japanese advertising posters from the Meiji era (1868-1912). Early hikifuda cards were painted on blocks of wood like the one shown in episode 2, and lithograph versions were developed later. Merchants would hand them out to valued customers and count on word of mouth to promote their businesses. Many of these hikifuda cards can still be found on sale today.    

    The historical figure pictured on Elda's favorite card, Izumo no Okuni, was a shrine maiden who is believed to have invented kabuki, a form of theatre mixing dramatic performances with traditional Japanese dance and known for its elaborate costumes. 

    (Fun fact, the name of hikifuda cards is similar to hanafuda playing cards. Literally meaning "flower cards", each one has a picture and they are used to play a number of games, inluding Koi-Koi which was featured in the anime movie Summer Wars, and Komi Can't Communicate.) 

Koito's sister, Koyuzu, cooking monjayaki - a savory Japanese pancake made with a variety of ingredients and baked on an iron plate

    Just as Elda and Koito discussed when they were debating Tsukishima's signature dish, the name "monjayaki" comes from "mojiyaki", which is a Japanese snack with an interesting history! The name itself translates to "grilled letters" and is a reference to the snack shops where children would practice writing letters in the gooey mojiyaki batter. It used to mainly be a snack for children, but now it's popular among people of all ages. "Monja Street" on Nishinakadori in Tsukishima, mentioned by Koito, really is home to around 75 monja restaurants. At the end of the episode, Elda suggests they make a variety that contains snacks like potato chips, and Koyuzu seems thrilled with the idea of a snack version of monjayaki for kids, but this concept is actually close to the original intent! 

    Tsukudani, seafood or seaweed simmered in soy sauce and added to plain rice which Elda mentioned as her idea of the soul food of Tsukishima, really did originate in the Edo period on Tsukudajima island near Tsukishima. The island was home to a fishing community in the early 1600s, right around the time Elda came to Japan. 

    As it turns out, the Japanese name for the rice served during the Edo period, "Edomai", sounds very much like the original Japanese title of this anime, Edomae Elf, a term that was also borrowed from a type of food - specifically, a style of sushi invented 200 years ago. The phrase literally comes from Edo, the old name for Tokyo, and a word that means "in front" like a waterfront, and that description is a good fit for the place where Elda was summoned.

Kanazawa city ice house

    Elda's story about "blessed ice", stored during the winter season and then carried on a long journey to the city in the summertime, was also true - and it's a tradition that still exists today in the city of Kanazawa. This practice dates back to the Edo period and involves shoveling the freshly fallen snow into ice houses like the one pictured above. It was then brought on a long journey to Edo, present-day Tokyo, in the summer as a gift to the shogun. Later on, it gained wider availability among the common people as well. A ceremony takes place at the local shrine before the ice is stored and again before it is removed, making this quite literally "blessed ice". 

    The modern day event in Kanazawa is open to the public, and children are allowed to take part in adding some snow to the ice house. There are even bamboo skiis and wooden sleds available for them to play in the snow, as well as special treats called himuro manju (colorful steamed wheat buns filled with sweet bean paste). It sounds like a really fun event, and I'm sure Elda would have loved the rare snacks!

    (Fun fact: Himuro is the Japanese word for "ice house", or literally "ice room". It's also the name of the main character in recent anime The Ice Guy And His Cool Female Colleague.)

    This was by far my favorite part to research - the first appearances of the exotic animals in Japan. Yes, even this comment from Elda is based on a real historical occurrence. The story about the elephants is especially fascinating. Exactly as Elda explained in episode 3, the elephants arrived in Nagasaki port and were walked through the streets to the amazement of the townspeople who came to watch. 

    Sadly, one of the two elephants brought to Japan in 1728 only survived a few months after its journey (with changes to her diet and the climate being the probable cause), and the remaining male elephant stayed in Nagasaki for several more months before beginning the long walk to Edo. Many preparations were taken to ensure the elephant's trip went smoothly, such as constructing large stables for overnight stays and clearing the streets. 

    During this time, the elephant was visited by several famous lords. Emperor Nakamikado was eager to see the elephant as well, but only those of the highest rank were allowed in his presence. His solution? Bestow the fourth imperial rank to the elephant, which granted him entry into the palace grounds! There, the elephant amazed the crowd by bending his knee and bowing to the emperor.

"Camels with Dutch Handlers" from the Metropolitan Museum of Art 

    This artwork shows an actual artist depiction from the late Edo period (1821) of camels brought by the Dutch, one of the few nations still allowed to conduct trade in Japanese ports at the time, along with their Arabian attendants. It's labeled with the Dutch word for camel, and the Japanese text provides a description of the animals. 

    As for the parakeets, while I didn't find any mention of them specifically, there were exotic birds brought over at the time, and parakeets are present in Japan now despite not being native to the area, so Elda's claim is possible. 

                         

    Japanese paper lanterns, called chouchin (a name that translates to "hanging light"), had already been used for hundreds of years before Elda's arrival but became more popular during the Edo period. Just as she described, these lanterns made it easier for people to travel around at night and many of them featured the family's crest, or kamon. It was a common practice for a samurai's armor and flag to feature their kamon so they could be recognized at a glance on the battlefield, so it's likely that lanterns decorated with a family's crest served the same purpose. I wasn't able to find any records of people writing messages on them like Elda describes, but that would be very cool if true.

    I hope you enjoyed this exploration of Japanese history and learned something new. Stay tuned for more posts about the historical facts featured in Otaku Elf every three weeks during the spring anime season, and my Favorite Anime of Winter 2023 post coming soon!

Sources of research for further reading: 

• https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tokugawa_Ieyasu
• https://www.history.com/topics/asian-history/meiji-restoration
• https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hanafuda
• https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Koi-Koi
• https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Izumo_no_Okuni
• https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tsukudajima
• https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tsukudani
• https://foodinjapan.org/kanto/monjayaki/
• https://kaname-inn.com/ideas/japanese-ice-house-festivals/
• https://www.morethantokyo.com/elephant-met-japanese-emperor/
• https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/77012
• https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/cnnphotos-tokyo-parakeets/index.html
• https://www.thekyotoproject.org/english/chochin-traditional-japanese-paper-lanterns/
• https://web-japan.org/trends/trends/11_fashion/fas181202.html