Kandara - Kandara

Japanese: カンダラ - かんだら

...Since a large number of mackerel are caught at one time, two or three are grouped together on a skewer and counted as one, so the act of overestimating is also said to be called "counting mackerel." This is thought to be related to the custom of kandara, in which boatmen and fishermen would take home part of the catch free of charge. On the other hand, there are cases where statues of monks holding mackerel are enshrined at key points along old roads, such as on hills and passes, and these are called "mackerel daishi." This tells of the legend that Kobo Daishi, in the guise of a traveling monk, asked for a mackerel, but was punished because a merchant or horseman did not give him the mackerel in his luggage...

From "Fish Thief"

...The masters also tolerated this to a certain extent. Throughout Kyushu, they are called kandara or kandaro, in Yamaguchi Prefecture they are called tosuke, in the Kanto region they are called doshinbou, and along the Pacific coast of Tohoku they are called moske. This is often seen in organized fishing methods such as net fishing, and may be a custom that emerged between the privatization of fishing by certain boat owners and the shared consciousness of the fishermen who participate in it regarding the catch.

*Some of the terminology explanations that mention "Kandara" are listed below.

Source | Heibonsha World Encyclopedia 2nd Edition | Information

Japanese:

…多数が一時に漁獲されるので，計算に際して2,3匹を串にまとめて一つと称することから多めにみつもることを〈サバをよむ(数える)〉というともいわれる。これは漁獲物の一部を舟子，網子たちが無償でもち帰るカンダラという風習と関連するとも思われる。　一方，古い街道筋の要所である坂や峠に僧がサバを手にもつ像を祭って〈鯖大師〉と呼び，弘法大師が旅僧の姿でサバ1匹を請うたのに，商人または馬子が荷物のサバを与えなかったために罰せられたという伝説を伝えている場合がある。…

【盗魚】より

…親方もこれを半ば黙認した。九州一円では，これをカンダラ，カンダロなどといい，山口県ではトウスケ，関東ではドウシンボウ，東北の太平洋沿岸ではモスケなどと呼んでいる。網漁業のように組織化された漁労形態に多くうかがうことができ，特定の舟主による漁業の私有化と，これに参加する漁民の漁獲物への共有意識の間に現出した習慣とも考えられる。…

※「カンダラ」について言及している用語解説の一部を掲載しています。

出典｜株式会社平凡社世界大百科事典第２版について | 情報

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