Just discovered the Ama in the book I’m reading called ‘Deep’ by James Nestor, a great read for anyone curious about free diving as well as marine life. There’s a wonderful quote from an Ama “When a man comes to the ocean he exploits it and strips it. When a woman puts her hand in the ocean that balance is restored.” The Ama believed that the ocean will always provide for humans if they gather from it in their natural forms, only taking what can be carried otherwise there will be nothing left. This is ancient wisdom that is very relevant today with our current over fishing practices. Mikimoto used Ama divers to look after his cultivated pearls on Mikimoto Pearl Island, near Toba city. This business was the main reason for the strong association between Ama and pearl diving among foreign observers that continues to this day. Another little-known fact is that the ‘traditional’ white attire we often see Ama divers wearing was also created by Mikimoto. He observed how surprised the foreign tourists visiting his pearl island were when seeing the Ama diving naked wearing only their traditional loincloth. ( Source) On Hegura island in Wajima city, rules state that abalone under 10 centimetres must be returned to the sea, with a punishment of two days without work if caught breaking them. Despite their efforts however, numbers of abalone and other shellfish have been in decline, in part due to overfishing, but also the rising sea temperatures which affects the growth of seaweed the shellfish eat. ( Source) The most profitable pursuit however was diving for pearls. Traditionally for Ama, finding a pearl inside an oyster was akin to receiving a large bonus while they went about their ancestral practice of collecting shellfish. That changed when Kokichi Mikimoto, founder of Mikimoto Pearl, began his enterprise.

The role of the Mikimoto ama was to collect the oysters from the seabed so that the pearl-producing nucleus may be inserted. Once this critical process was completed, the ama then carefully returned the oysters to the seabed – in a place where they were protected from external dangers (such as typhoons and red tide). Predictably, there are also films made around the profession. Ama are featured in the famous work ‘Tampopo’, as well as the rather less famous, and slightly bizarre 1959 horror movie ‘Ama Ghost House’ (海女の化物屋敷). (Trailer below). This culture of national mermaids diving for the nation is not only unique to Japan however. From 2007 Korea has been presenting its best case to have the Haenyo divers of Jeju Island listed as a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage. In similar fashion, Japan has now joined the races by recommending its own female divers, boosted by the popularity of a recent NHK drama ‘ Amachan‘, starring a young girl who moves to the Tohoku region of Japan to became an Ama diver. ( Asahi) Nudism photo, nudism Germany, Europe nudism, nudism in nature, family nudism photo | Fkk foto, fkk deutschland, fkk europa, fkk in der natur, familie fkk foto

I learned about the Ama from two men: Ian Fleming and Walt Disney. Ian Fleming’s James Bond in “You Only Live Twice” introduced both the ninja and the Ama to America. “People and Places: Ama Girls” (1958) predated the Bond movie and the 1964 novel.

It’s a tradition I really admire. As a woman, this is a showing of empowerment that we should be proud of. Diving without any equipment to aid them, these women defied the odds and showed to the world that we, women, can do incredible feats.” No way, as a small person you would have been extremely valuable in service during war time. Smaller people can escape better, are harder to detect, make better sniper rifle shooters, etc. In hand to hand combat, with proper training, smaller people can evade and redirect (think Akido) incoming assaults, and are harder to shoot due just to their small size. And as a woman (especially during WW2) the enemy would be less likely to guess you worked for the other side (Because a woman? During war!? No way!), making you a valuable asset as a potential spy. Don’t underestimate yourself because of your gender or size.

Although perhaps the scantily-clad, romanticised image of the profession is a thing of the past, there’s still a rich history and culture that needs to be conveyed to younger generations. The tourism industry at Mikimoto Pearl is a great start to help preserve the memory, but the age-old fishing traditions held by small coastal villages are definitely in need of special attention to make sure their heritage isn’t forgotten completely.