Archives for April 2, 2006

Most Australians love whales and abhor the idea of killing these magnificient creatures. In contrast there is a long tradition of killing and eating whales in Japan.

I am an Australian and I am interested in understanding the history and culture of whaling in Japan. I like challenging my beliefs and preconceptions and learning why and how different cultures harvest wildlife.

This is part 2 of ‘The Whale: A Fish in Japanese Eyes’ a series of readings from Whales and the Japanese by Masayki Komatsu and Shigeko Misaki:

“Some 4000 to 5500 years ago, in the earliest days of the Jomon Period, our ancestors were eating whale meat, as re-vealed by archaeological finds from around San Nai Maruyama, in Aomori Prefecture.

Large deposits of whale and dolphin bone have been discovered at these sites. In those days, there was no whaling as we know it today, rather the people made use of small whales that beached themselves, or drifted already dead to shore. Those whales were called yori kujira, or visiting whale, and were thought of as gifts from heaven.

There is considerable debate, depending on which period of our history we analyze, as to whether or not ancient Japanese people simply passively awaited yori kujira or went to sea to actively hunt whales. However, one thing is certain: Japanese have utilized whales and small cetaceans for food throughout our history, just as we have utilized all the sea’s resources such as seaweed, fish and shell-fish. However, even in the Jomon Period, there is evidence of some active whaling.

The remains of a Jomon Period village (from 4000 BC to 300 BC) unearthed in Noto Peninsula, in Ishikawa Prefecture, revealed a considerable deposit of whale and dolphin bone. It was found in such quantities as to indicate a high probability that the people of that region actively hunted whales and dolphins.”

To read Part 1, and the comments that followed, click here.