History of Natto and Its Relatives (1405-2012 - SoyInfo Center

Contents: Purpose of study. Method of study. Botanical
history: Naming the soybean, the Glycine ussuriensis case,
other genetic evidence, claim on the origin of the soybean.
Initial utilization. Botanical dissemination. Soybean history–
non-botanical: Legend, recorded Chinese soybean history,
concluding notes on soybean origin and cultivation history.
Buddhist infl uence on the development of the soybean:
Soysauce or shôyu, miso, tofu, natto, ancient soybean food
products, the soybean grows.
“Another principal concern of this paper is the Buddhist
connection to soybean development. The introduction
of soybeans, although an approximation at the very best,
coincides quite closely with the spread of Buddhism in
Japan. As shown later, Buddhism has a very close connection
with soybean history and in many product sectors of soybean
development, may have created or at least popularized them”
(p. 1).
“Contrary to the above statement I submit the following
data which I believe can easily be documented: 1. Emperor
Sheng-nung is a mythical character (letter from Herbert
W. Johnson, Research Agronomist, USDA / ARS Crops
Research Div., Beltsville, Maryland, 30 Aug. 1962). 2.
Emperor Shen-nung was a legendary character who cannot
be pinpointed to a date of 2838 B.C. (letter from Jung-pang
Lo, Research Asst. Prof., Far Eastern and Russian Inst., Univ.
of Washington, 6 Sept. 1962). 3. Shen-nung is a mythical
ruler, never living at the date attributed to him or at any other
date (letter from Edward H. Schaefer, Professor of Oriental
Languages, Univ. of California, Berkeley, 6 Sept. 1962). 4. A
work attributed to Shen-nung is called Shen nung pen Ts’ao
Ching but since it contains many Han Period facts (around
the beginning of the Christian era) it is believed to be a Post-
Han work. This work is fi rst mentioned by T’ao Hung-ching
(who edited it) early in the 6th century A.D. (Jung-pang
Lo). 5-6. The Pen Ts’ao Kang Mu was written by L. Shihchen
(1518-1593) in A.D. 1596 or 1597 (Jung-pang Lo,
Schaefer)... 9. The word ‘Shiyu’ cannot be found in Chinese
dictionaries. The name for the soybean in China being ‘Tatou,’
meaning big bean (Jung-pang Lo).”
“Concluding notes on soybean origin and cultivation
history: The Book of Poetry (Shih-ching) mentions boiling
shu (pulse) and the Erh-ya (a Chou period lexicon,
authorship attributed to Confucius or his disciples) mentions
Jung-shu. Kao yu, the commentator, remarked that the
Jung-shu (pulse of the Hu people) which was also known as
Ta-tou (the soybean). Jung was a term used by the Chinese
in the Chou period for the non-Chinese people of the North
and Ju was a term used by the Chinese people of the North
and West. This would seem to indicate that the soybean was
introduced to China from the non-Chinese people of the
North. Also supporting this is the Chou-shu by Hsi meng,
in which there is a reference to Shan-jung shu (pulse of the
Jung people of the mountains). A commentator explains that
the Shan-jung were tribes in the Northeast (Manchuria).
© Copyright Soyinfo Center 2012
HISTORY OF NATTO AND ITS RELATIVES 161
“The Kuang-Tzu contains a passage saying that after
Duke Huan of Chi (7 B.C.) defeated the Shan-jung the Jungshu
came to be known throughout China. Chia su-hsieh (5
A.D.) in his book Ch’i-min Yao-shu (Ts’tung-shu Chi-ch’eng,
editor) quoted the Shen-nung pen Ts’ao as saying that Ta-tou
(the big bean) was the Hu-Tou (Hu peoples’ bean) which
Chang Ch’ien brought back from his exploration of central
Asia in the fi rst century B.C., there being two varieties. In
the Han period both Ts’ui shih and Fansheng in their books
on farming techniques mention cultivation of the Ta-tou and
its use in famine relief. The Pen Ts’ao Kang Mu (1596),
mentioned earlier, has a long discourse on the medical
properties of the Ta-tou (Jung-pang Lo).”
“Buddhist infl uence on the development of the soybean:
Although references to the Buddhist infl uence on soybean
development are particularly sparse I believe Buddhism
deserves credit for initiating the spectacular expansion of
soybean utilization in Japan which triggered utilization in the
rest of the world. The Buddhist connection is certainly true
if oil utilization is excluded. Below lie the reasons for my
belief.
“Buddhism was introduced into Japan around 500-600
A.D. (Bush 1959, p. 28-29). Among the priests the traditional
hate of fl esh was present and agriculture of the fi eld type
was encouraged by the government (Tezuka 1936, p. 13).
The introduction of soybeans fi ts well into this historical
development. The recent fi nding of soybean seed in Shôso In
(Japan) which was established in the Nara era for the storing
of legumes of that era that were introduced from China
(Nagata 1960, p. 97) proves as does the record of ceremony
and taxation system of the Nara era (Nagata, p. 75) that
soybeans did exist in Japan at that time.
“Soysauce or more properly shôyu, the now renowned
Japanese fl avoring, is said to have originated during the
Chou dynasty (1134-246 B.C.) (Komiya 1955, p. 14) and
was introduced into Japan when Buddhism was being
established although not becoming popular until 1300 (Joya
1951, p. 31-33).
“Miso, soybean paste, is a much used breakfast and soup
dish in Japan that was introduced to Japan from China or
Korea (Horvath 1927, p. 83). It was defi nitely used by the
priests when they fi rst entered Japan, in fact they popularized
it among their new vegetarian converts (Joya, p. 21-23).
“An ancient Chinese book states that the Philosopher
Hamintze, a prince of the Han dynasty, was the inventor of
Tofu or soybean curd (Horvath, p. 6) while another source
attributes the tofu innovation to the Chinese Philosopher
Whai Nain Tze (Piper & Morse 1923, p. 234). The
manufacture of soybean curd (tofu) was started in China
in 164 B.C. during Emperor Hwai Wen’s reign by Liu An,
duke of Hwai Nan. Liu An was a great friend of the Buddhist
monks and it seems quite likely that he made this bean curd
to provide a change or delicacy to break the monotony of the
monastic ration.” Note: Whai Nain = Huainan. Liu An was