What is an unknown British botanist who saved the production of "seaweed" indispensable for sushi?

"Nori (glue)" indispensable for "sushi (sushi)", one of the most popular Japanese food in the world, has not been established aquaculture technology until the Edo period, It was enough to be called grass. However, after the Second World War, British botanistsKathleen Mary Drew-Baker (Kathleen · Mary · Drew · Baker)Due to the dissertation that Dr. wrote, the stable production of seaweed in Japan became possible, and the sushi culture of today was largely supported. Ars Technica UK has summarized "Sea Mother" which contributed to the establishment of unknown laver production technology.

How an unpaid UK researcher saved the Japanese seaweed industry | Ars Technica
https://arstechnica.com/science/2017/11/how-an-unpaid-uk-researcher-saved-the-japanese-seaweed-industry/

Dr. Baker was a botanist who studies algae at the University of Manchester in the UK and was a teacher as a lecturer at the university. However, at the time of the UK university at that time, female researchers had a practice of being unpaid when married, marrying a botanist Henry Wright-Baker in marriage, cutting salary as a researcher and unpaid instructor It seems he was working as.


Although he was a Baker who did not receive salary from the university, he continued his research on algae called Porphyra umbilicalis which can be taken at the coast of Wales. Porphyra umbilicalis is unknown worldwide, but it is algae that is known as raw material of laver laid in traditional bread and soup in the Wales region. To study the life cycle of Porphyra umbilicalis at that time, Dr. Baker seems to have created a laboratory with private expense at the beach with her husband.

At that time, Dr. Baker focused on a pink thin thread-like plant called Conchocelis, which was known as a different kind of algae from Porphyra umbilicalis. Dr. Baker, who noticed that Porphyra umbilicalis, the raw material of laver in the winter, is captured in large quantities in the year when Conchocelis breeds in large quantities and the sea surface turns pink in the summer, Dr. Baker examines the relationship between the growth of the two plants That is why I decided.


As a result of Dr. Baker's investigation, Conchocelis, which adheres to the shells of dead oysters and turns pink, turned out to be what spores grew up by Porphyra umbilicalis grew. In other words, Porphyra umbilicalis and Conchocelis, which were considered different algae before, were the same plants. In 1949 Dr. Baker made this finding "Conchocelis-Phase in the Life-History of Porphyra umbilicalis0 0 pay 2.5 get payrence tw payday tw pay payrence pay tw pay payrence pay tw

At the same time in Japan where we were trying to restore after the war, production of laver was falling into a big pinch. Although seaweed farming technology in the form of application of the method of Japanese paper from the Edo period had been established, it is not possible to make Tonae to grow by fixing the laver of spores (Sai ​​seconds) artificially, mainly Production that depended on experience and intuition of nori craftsmen has been done, and there were large variations in the production volume depending on the year. In particular, when the industrialization advances in the process of post-war reconstruction, the production of seaweed hit hard, yes seaweed production areas from all over the country has fallen into a serious state as could disappear by the time 1950.

Kyushu University's friendship with Dr. BakerSegawa MuneyoshiWhen he heard about the facts written in the thesis, Dr. began applying applied research to Japanese laver, thinking that it is possible for the sea of ​​Wales to be established in the sea of ​​Japan as well. In 1953, Mr. Fusao Ota of Kumamoto Prefectural Fishery Testing Laboratory Engineer succeeded in artificially cultivating seaweed using artificial seedlings using shells of oysters. After that, due to the results of the researchers following Dr. Segawa, seaweed was able to be produced stably, Japanese laver farming industry played a dramatic revival.


The history that the discovery of British researchers far from Japan realized complete artificial cultivation of seaweed which was thought not to be industrialized, and then supported "sushi culture" to be loved all over the world is " It is said that it is a story of a global scale. Dr. Baker who found the seaweed life cycle was elected the first president of the British Phycological Society (algae society) in 1952, but died of young age 55 in 1957 because of cancer. Regarding Dr. Drew's achievement, a memorial carved as "Mother of the Sea" by donation from a nori fisherman is in Kumamoto PrefectureSumiyoshi Nature ParkBuilt on April 14th every year "Dru festivalThe feat is praised in the form of.