Taiji

Taiji is a rare example of an ancient whaling community that continues hunting whales today. The town has a recorded history of organized whaling that dates back to 1606, and a small number of whalers still operate out of the town’s small harbor.

Taiji is also well-known internationally for its “drive fishery,” in which a local group of fishermen hunt smaller whales and dolphins by driving them into shore and harvesting them for meat or selling them live for use in aquariums or research.

This page serves as a placeholder for articles about Taiji featured on Whaling Today.

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  NAMMCO At 30: Marine Mammals in Cultural Traditions and Identity (Part 2 of 3) - "Eating marine mammals is our national identity," said the participants from Greenland. Their unity of viewpoint impressed this first-time participant.

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  A Lifelong Friend of Whaling: Former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in His Own Words - Abe’s legacy included overseeing a dramatic shift in Japan’s whaling policy, from the decision to withdraw from the IWC to the restart of commercial whaling.

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  Whales in the Japanese Landscape: Taking Life, The Naked Providence of Nature - “We give thanks that we were able to make the catch without incident. We can’t forget our gratitude for the gift of another life” ー Taiji whaling captain.

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  Whales in the Japanese Landscape: Proud Thieves Seeking the Riches of the Sea - Japanese whalers of the Edo period made huge fortunes from an ocean resource that belonged to no one. Other groups stole some meat but weren’t punished.

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  Whales in the Japanese Landscape: A Test of Character, Past and Present - Practiced in Japan as far back as 4000 BC, and humans are still chasing whales 6,000 years later, largely for a spiritual reward not measured by economics.

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  Whales in the Japanese Landscape: The Power of the Warrior Spirit - The whaling economy was preceded by a battle to overcome a giant creature which, more than profits and losses, required a spiritual vitality.

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  Whales in the Japanese Landscape: A Natural Resource and the Start of Manufacturing - 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.

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  In Chiba Prefecture’s Minamiboso, Fighting to Save Coastal Whaling Traditions - 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

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  Whales in Your Living Room - The Taiji Whale Museum launches virtual 360-degree panoramas The Taiji Whale Museum, located in the small town of Taiji, Wakayama Prefecture, is focused totally on whales and dolphins, a rarity in Japan.  The museum features a three-story exhibition hall on whale biology and whaling history, live dolphin and whale shows,Continue Reading

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  ‘Lamafa’ Documentary Wins International Film Award, ‘More than a Whaling Movie’ - Warming waters and the whims of the Kuroshio Current bring new fish and whales to the fishermen at the heart of Japan’s centuries-old whaling culture, and sometimes they turn out to be quite popular.