Kujiratori (Whaling 鯨トリ)

Kujiratori (Whaling 鯨トリ)

c. 1850

24cm x 16.7cm. Manuscript, some colored illustrations, on washi. Japanese binding. Sakamaki/Hawley Collection. Frank Hawley, an English journalist, collected many rare prints and publications. These included not only Ryūkyū but many other subjects. He was particularly interested in whaling in Japan and collected many materials and authored the book, Whales and Whaling in Japan (1960). This manuscript is apparently one of these collections. Although detailed information on this piece is unknown, it depicts traditional whaling practices in Japan through color illustrations, which include hand harpoons, whaling boats, various whale species, and whaling scenes. Whaling in Japan was an important industry beginning in the seventeenth century and it peaked between 1810 and 1850. It played a significant role in linking Japan with other countries.

Asia - Japan Collection, University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa Library

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