ABSTRACT
This chapter examines the striking reception of a pair of single-humped camels in Edo Japan. The Dutch East India Company brought the camels to Nagasaki in 1821 as diplomatic gifts to the Tokugawa shogun. Rejected by the shogun, the camels were displayed in public shows around the country for years, attracting enormous attention. The camel shows not only provided a wide audience with information, both genuine and fabricated, but also inspired scholars, intellectuals, writers, and painters to produce novels, verses, songs, essays, and paintings. The camels’ reception in Edo society generated a wealth of connotations concerning camels, which also reflected people’s general view of animals.
