244 Sino-Iranica 



but is an entirely different plant, with small, deeply-lobed leaves, 

 copiously villose beneath. Ebi-kadzura is mentioned again in the 

 Wamyo-ruijus'd ^0 ^ IS ^ ^ (compiled during the period 923-931, 

 first edited in 161 7), which gives budo as the fruit of Ukwatsu or Vitis 

 coignetiae 1 , as growing wild in northern Japan. 



"These three plants are apparently mixed up in early Japanese 

 literature, as pointed out by Arai Kimiyosi. 2 Describing budo as a food 

 plant, the Honlo Sokukan ^ 19 Jt HI 3 mentions that the fruit was not 

 greatly appreciated in ancient times; for this reason no mention was 

 made of it in the Imperial chronicles, nor has any appropriate Japanese 

 term been coined to designate the vine-grape proper. 



"In the principal vine-grape district of Japan, Yamanasi-ken 

 (previously called Kai Province), were found a few old records, an 

 account of which is given in Viscount Y. Fukuba's excellent discourse 

 on Pomology. 4 An article on the same subject was published by J. 

 Dautremer. 6 This relates to a tradition regarding the accidental dis- 

 covery by a villager, Amenomiya Kageyu (not two persons), of the vine- 

 grape in 1 1 86 (Dautremer erroneously makes it 1195) at the mountain 

 of Kamiiwasaki Ji ^ ^, not far from Kofu R? $f. Its cultivation must 

 have followed soon afterward, for in 11 97 a few choice fruits were 

 presented to the Sogun Yoritomo (1147-99). At the time of Takeda 

 Harunobu (1521-73) a sword was presented to the Amenomiya family 

 as a reward for excellent fruits which they presented to the Lord. 

 Viscount Fukuba saw the original document relative to the official 

 presentation of the sword, and bearing the date 1549. 6 The descendants 

 of this historical grape-vine are still thriving in the same locality around 

 the original grove, widely recognized among horticulturists as a true 

 Vitis vinifera. According to a later publication of Fukuba, 7 there is 

 but one variety of it. Several introductions of Vitis vinifera took place 

 in the early Meiji period (beginning 1868) from Europe and America. 



"The following species of Vitis are mentioned in Umemura's work 

 Inolokukwai-no-lokubutsu-li ffc 'ft <ft- iZ. fit tyli ffe 8 as being edible: 



1 Matsumura, Shokubutsu Mei-i, p. 380. 



2 Toga )ft #fl (completed in 1719), ed. 1906, p. 272. 

 8 Ch. 4, p. 50 (ed. of 1698). 



4 Kwaju engei-ron ^ ^gj [§ §| f$f, privately published in 1892. 



6 Situation de la vigne dans l'empire du Japon, Transactions Asiatic Society of 

 Japan, Vol. XIV, 1886, pp. 176-185. 



6 Fukuba, op. cit., pp. 461-462. 



7 Kwaju saibaijenSo y^ $$ ^ffc i § ■£ fj|, Vol. IV, 1896, pp. 1 19-120. 



8 Vol. 4, 1906. 



