Chapter 3: Exchanges between Japan and Africa

Africa has been connected to the rest of the world through trade and interaction of people since ancient times. The picture below shows an old Chinese coin used for a necklace in Tanzania. The inscription “Kenryu-tsuho (乾隆通宝)” suggests that it was from the Qing dynasty and that there was exchange of people and goods in those days.
Naturally, things born in Africa have reached Japan, and Japan has also had an influence on Africa in various ways, not only in industrial products such as automobiles. This chapter introduces exchange between Japan and Africa.

Plants

The illustration above is a very funny nishiki-e (colored woodblock print), Fighting Over Watermelons (於御浜御殿徳川大樹御船手西瓜合戦上覧之図), in which tough men scramble for watermelons. It may be for the purpose of training swimming or martial arts, but we cannot know the details because there is no explanation. What were they thinking with their serious looks?
As you can see from this picture, watermelons are considered a summer tradition in Japan, but as we mentioned in the introduction, they are actually native to Africa. According to Encyclopedia Nipponica 2001 [UR1-G71], watermelons originated in the Kalahari Desert in South Africa and entered Japan via the Silk Road. They are said to have been introduced to Japan in the 15th or 16th century, but were not popular at the time. After the Meiji period, they came to be widely cultivated.
Okra, which is an ingredient of Japanese food such as tempura and marinated foods, also originated in Africa. It is called “America Neri” in Japan because it was brought in via America, and it was sometimes introduced as native to America in botanical pictorial books before World War II. However, in the article “Atarashii Fukugyo America Neri no Saibai to Kako” (新しい副業 アメリカネリの栽培と加工: lit. New side business; Cultivation and processing of America Neri) published in the April 1934 issue of Nogyo Sekai (農業世界: lit. Agricultural World) [Z18-398], the correct description was given as “It is said to have originated in Africa, and has been cultivated in Egypt for more than 2000 years,” and the cultivation method was explained. This article introduces many ways to eat okra. In addition to cooking it, the ripe seeds are sometimes roasted and served as a “coffee substitute.”
Speaking of which, real coffee is of African origin, too. Although it is not as widely grown in Japan as watermelon and okra, coffee is as popular as any other beverage. A botanical pictorial book from before World War II, Dai Shokubutsu Zukan (大植物図鑑: lit. Encyclopedia of Plants) [R470.38-Mu46-2ウ], explains not only its characteristics as a plant but also how to drink it. However, the fact that there are many “coffee substitutes” listed in the “coffee tree” section indicates that coffee was still expensive at that time.

Art

African art is widely known for its influence on art and various types of music around the world. How has it been accepted in Japan?

Animals

African animals are very popular at zoos and safari parks in Japan. In addition to large animals such as elephants, giraffes and lions, many species of primates, such as chimpanzees and gorillas, are found only on the African continent.

It seems that these animals were often purchased from Western zoos before World War II. The first person to go directly to Africa to obtain animals was HAYASHI Juro, a staff member at Ueno Zoological Gardens, in 1951 after World War II. His experience is described in a book called Africa no Mojugari (アフリカの猛獣狩: lit. African Wild Beasts Hunting) [児480.49-H411a]. It seems that their hunt for beasts of prey was on a very large scale. For example, they chased a giraffe in 95-horsepower armored vehicles to entrap its neck in a ring of rope hanging from a bamboo pole, and lured hippos with a handful of salt inside a sturdy wooden fence taller than human height to catch them alive.
As mentioned in the introduction, the domestic cat, which is a member of the feline family along with lions and leopards, is said to have been first domesticated in ancient Egypt, descended from the Libyan wildcat.

Anti-mosquito measures

Mosquitoes are not a welcome summer feature, but in Japan there is little harm beyond itching even if you get bitten because Japanese encephalitis vaccination has become common. In Africa, however, mosquitoes transmit infectious diseases such as malaria and dengue fever for which effective vaccines are not yet available, so preventing bites is a more important issue than in Japan. For this problem, we would like to introduce the contribution of a Japanese tradition.
Burning plant leaves to kill mosquitoes had been done in many countries. However, in 1890, the “mosquito repelling incense coil (mosquito coil)” with insecticidal component was invented in Japan. AZUMI Isaburo, one of those who contributed to the spread of mosquito coils, wrote about his experience of visiting Africa in his book Oaryoshu wo Otozurete (欧亜両洲をおとづれて: lit. Visiting Europe and Africa) [特232-697]. The article “Shosen Yusha no Senjutsu wo Kaibou su –Katorisenkou O no Maki” (商戰勇者の戰術を解剖す――蚊取線香王の卷: lit. The Anatomy of the Warriors of the Commercial World: The Book of the King of the Mosquito Coil) (Shotenkai [Z4-148], Vol. 15, No. 1), also describes his relationship with Africa, such as his time as the honorary consul of Ethiopia. In modern Africa, you can find the same spiral-shaped mosquito coils that are sold in Japan.

On a related note, according to Useful plants of the world [RA2-J54], in 1935 Japan was the world's largest producer of pyrethrum, which are used as a raw material for mosquito coils, and 90% of them were exported, making them an important export item. However, they are now rare in Japan and “Kenya is the world's largest producer.” Japanese mosquito coils may be made of African pyrethrum.
Mosquito nets have also traditionally been used in Japan and other countries. They are attracting attention as a measure against mosquitoes in Africa. Currently, Japanese companies are building factories in Tanzania to carry out local production and other promotional activities. A photo of such mosquito nets appeared in an article titled Players Nihon no Bochu Kaya de Malaria Bokumetsu wo (PLAYERS 日本の防虫蚊帳でマラリア撲滅を: PLAYERS Japanese Anti-Malaria Mosquito Nets) [PDF 1.14MB] in the February 2009 issue of JICA's World [Z71-W855].
According to the article “Wagakuni ODA no Kadai – Asia oyobi Africa ni taisuru Enjo wo chusin toshite” (我が国ＯＤＡの課題―アジア及びアフリカに対する援助を中心として―: Issues of Japan's ODA -With a focus on aid to Asia and Africa-) in the December 2008 issue of the NDL’s Reference (『レファレンス』) [Z22-554], the production of mosquito nets “increased from 30 million in 2004 to 95 million in 2007" and "the use of mosquito nets has more than tripled since around 2000.”
It is surprising that Japan and Africa are interconnected through measures against a small creature such as mosquitoes.

Martial arts

Judo and karate, Japanese martial arts, are now widespread throughout the world, and Africa is no exception. The African Judo Union was formed in 1961 and has 48 member countries as of 2009. Many of you may remember Mohamed Rashwan of Egypt, who won the “World Fair Play Award” for not attacking Yamashita's injured leg in the final match of the open-weight class of judo at the Los Angeles Olympics.
The Survey on the Desiring List for the Dispatch of the 52-2nd Corps [PDF 4.76MB] (Japan International Cooperation Agency, Japan Overseas Cooperation Volunteers Office, 1977) is the oldest Japan Overseas Cooperation Volunteers form publicly available online. At this point, judo and karate are already known, and Tunisia and Zambia have expressed their desire to accept judo and karate. In the field, not only athletes but also police officers and others learn martial arts. There are expectations from the aspect of human development that emphasizes not only technique but also respect.
However, according to the May 2005 issue of Crossroads [Z24-195], while "karate" forms the image of Japan, kung fu can also have an impact on karate movements because "kung fu movies are popular." It may be necessary to try to convey the uniqueness of each country.

These are just a few of the interactions. As we saw in Chapter 1 and 2, it is also an important interaction that people come and go directly. In addition, the image of the partner country may be created through entertainment such as Shonen Kenya and Tarzan in Japan and Oshin in Africa. Sometimes it's true that some are misleading. However, we think mutual understanding will develop if you find something that is derived from the other country in an unexpected corner and feel close to it.

Column: Journey to Africa

Even today, it is not easy to go to Africa, but before World War II, it was even more difficult. In the case of FURUYA Komahei, who travelled to Cape Town in 1898, it took more than six months to reach Cape Town by changing boats in Hong Kong, Singapore and Bombay from Yokohama, because there was no direct route from Japan to South Africa.
The first direct sea route between Japan and Africa was established by Osaka Shosen Kaisha Line in 1926. According to an article in the same year's issue of Umi (海: lit. The Ocean) [雑31-144], they left Kobe once a month, made port calls in Moji, Hong Kong, Singapore, Colombo, Mombasa, Zanzibar, Dar es Salaam, Beira, and Delagoa Bay, and arrived in Durban in about 50 days and in Mombasa in 35 days. Compared to the previous routes via Mumbai and Aceh, travel time was shortened by 15 days and 25 days respectively. SHIRAKAWA Ikai, the author of Jicchi Tosa Higashi Africa no Tabi (實地踏査東アフリカの旅: lit. Field Trip to East Africa) [578-173] introduced in Chapter 1, boarded the first ship on the East Africa route, Kanadamaru.

After World War II, the opening of air routes made Africa dramatically closer to us. However, according to Gaikoku Ryoko Annai (外国旅行案内: lit. Foreign travel guide) [290.9-N685g-(1957)] in 1957, for example, it took between 39 and 45 hours to travel from Japan to Egypt, so it was not an easy trip. Even now, there are very few direct flights from Japan to Africa, and most flights to Africa require a stopover in Asia or Europe. According to the records of Foreign Minister Sonoda at that time, who visited 5 countries (Nigeria, Cote d'Ivoire, Senegal, Tanzania, and Kenya) in 1979, he went to Lagos from Narita via London and Geneva and returned to Narita from Nairobi via Rome, Amsterdam, and Copenhagen. (However, he stopped over in Geneva to attend the International Conference on Indo-Chinese Refugees and in Amsterdam to make an official visit to the Netherlands.)
The first direct flight to Africa in Japan was launched by Egypt Air in 1995, connecting Kansai Airport and Cairo. According to a newspaper article at the time, the flight took about 13 hours, about 8 hours less than the flight from Narita via Manila and Bangkok then.

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Chronological table