Whales in the Japanese Landscape: The Power of the Warrior Spirit
2022-05-25
The whaling economy was preceded by a battle to overcome a giant creature which, more than profits and losses, required a spiritual vitality.
Whales in the Japanese Landscape: A Natural Resource and the Start of Manufacturing
2022-05-18
Whales were resources that swam slowly through the sea. Once brought up onto land, their massive bodies were divided and used until there was nothing left.
Rare Artwork from the Baleen of Whales
2022-03-12
Artwork made from the baleen of whales has been an integral part of the culture of whaling communities in Japan and around the world, and some examples are introduced here.
In Chiba Prefecture’s Minamiboso, Fighting to Save Coastal Whaling Traditions
2022-02-17
There was a time when whale meat was so common in Japan that we almost expected it to be a part of every meal. But this changed from the late 1980s, when the International Whaling Commission (IWC) placed a moratorium on commercial whaling. Since then the overall whale market hasContinue Reading
Audience Choice: New Accolades for Bon Ishikawa’s Indigenous Whaling Film ‘Lamafa’
2021-11-30
Lamafa, an independent documentary about traditional life in a distant Indonesian whaling village, has continued to impress modern audiences around the globe, and was selected by viewers as the best film at the Guam International Film Festival (GIFF). The festival announced Monday, November 29, that the documentary, produced, written, andContinue Reading
INTERVIEW | Fishmonger Asana Mori Shares Her Love of Whale and Fish Through YouTube
2021-03-09
~~ ~ Interview Series Part 1: A Conversation with YouTuber Asana Mori Asana Mori, a popular YouTuber, is the centerpiece of website Kujira Town‘s first interview in a new series with people who love whales. She shares the best methods of cleaning and preparing seafood such as whale meat andContinue Reading
Oshika Whale Land: Tribute to Whales and Whaling, Rebuilt after the Tsunami
2020-11-06
Tomiji Saito is the Representative Director of the Ayukawa Town Planning Association, which operates Whale Town Oshika. He was born in Ayukawahama, where he still lives and works today. In July 2020, two momentous events converged to highlight the whaling history of the tiny coastal community of Ayukawa that sitsContinue Reading
Kamogawa Sea World at 50: Building on the past, a new commitment to animal welfare
2020-10-06
Hiroshi Katsumata was born in 1962 in Kamogawa City in Chiba Prefecture. He began working at Kamogawa Sea World in 1987, and became Director of Zoological Operations in 2016. He is a former rugby player. Kamogawa Sea World is now celebrating its 50th anniversary. The venue located in Kamogawa inContinue Reading
Storms and Protests During the First Month of Taiji’s Dolphin Hunts, Minus the Foreigners
2020-09-30
Jay Alabaster is a Ph.D. student at the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism in Arizona State University. He currently lives in Taiji, Japan, where he is working on a book and his dissertation. You can find him on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/alabasterjay. His email is jay.alabaster(at)asu.edu. It’s September again! Perched onContinue Reading
History of Japanese Whaling: Transition to a Modern Whaling Nation
2020-09-18
This is the second of a two-part series on the history of Japanese whaling. Part 1: The Birth of Traditional Whaling in Japan Shigeo Nakazono is a scholar and author engaged in the research of cultural assets and sociology, and curator of the Ikitsuki Island Museum (Shima no Yakata) inContinue Reading