First to industrialize
The Japanese were dumbstruck when the Dutch showed them machinery. They had been handpicking rice and painting lewd pictures of octopi up until that point.
First to industrialize amongst their neighbors. And mechanization of rice harvesting is a very late invention.
As is, for that matter, lewd octopus drawings, which date only to the 19th century.
First to industrialize amongst their neighbors.
The OP is still misleading to make his point.
As is, for that matter, lewd octopus drawings, which date only to the 19th century.
Most famous example from 1814 (NSFW): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Dream_of_the_Fisherman's_Wife Although I bet that for a popular artist to be able to publish this openly, it probably means it was already floating in the culture before. The article mentions earlier netsuke, but without dates and the sources are books.
