鯨（げい）は国を助く（小学館）

小泉　武夫　著

その２　第１章　クジラは日本人を助けた

 

 

　日本人は約８０００～９０００年前の縄文時代からクジラを食べていたことが、縄文遺跡から確かめられています。この長い歴史を通じて、日本人は独特のクジラにかかわる文化をはぐくんできました。

　江戸時代にはクジラの料理書がたくさん出ていますが、『鯨肉調味方』にはクジラのすべての肉、部位の食べ方が解説されています。クジラのあらゆる部位を食べ、そして骨やひげまで活用してきました。

　すべてを無駄にしないことでクジラに感謝し、クジラの供養塚、供養碑をつきり、さらに一頭一頭の過去帳まで作って供養して来たのが日本のクジラ文化でした。

　ペリーが浦賀に来たのは、アメリカの捕鯨船団の水、燃料などの補給を求めることが第一目的でした。彼らはクジラの油をとるだけで、他は無駄に捨てていたのでした。石油が発見されると捕鯨業が不要となり、撤退しました。しかし、その彼らが、日本の捕鯨に対して「野蛮である」とか「鯨がかわいそうである」とかいって、その禁止を主張するのは全く自己中もいいところです。日本の何千年にわたるクジラ文化への侮蔑であり、人種差別にほかなりません。

　それどころか、戦後の食糧不足の時に、日本人に貴重な動物性たんぱくを供給してくれたのはクジラだったのです。昭和２２～２３年ころ、国民一人当たりの食肉類供給量のうちクジラの占める割合は、４６～４７％でした。３２～３７年日本人の鯨肉に対する動物性たんぱく質の依存率は、７０％を超えていたということです。まさに、日本人はクジラに救われたのです。

　エピソードを一つ。

　戦国から江戸時代にかけて捕鯨法が発達し、全国に鯨組が広まっていきました。その代表的なものが紀州の太地町の鯨組で、約３千人を抱える大企業となっていたといいます。おそらく当時日本最大の企業だったでしょう。このようにクジラと日本は深い縁があるのです。

 

　　　日本語原文：http://hassin.org/01/wp-content/uploads/Counting-1.pdf

 　　　 英訳文：http://www.sdh-fact.com/CL/Counting-1e.pdf

 

 

令和２年４月９日　「史実を世界に発信する会」 茂木弘道

 

Counting the Blessing of Whales:

Insights from a Chopsticks-Wielding Patriot

Koizumi Takeo

Series No.2: Chapter 1 Whales Saved the Japanese 

 

   Unearthed relics of the Jomon period clearly demonstrate that Japanese ate whales about 8,000 to 9000 years ago. Japanese have nurtured a peculiar whale-related culture through a long history tied to whales.

   Many whale cookbooks were published during the Edo era. Geiniku Chomikata explains how to prepare and cook virtually all, or 67, different parts of the whale including internal organs and skin (with different ways of cooking the various parts including the skin of the head, side and back, breasts, uterus, eyeballs and penis, not to mention red whale meat and the tail meat. Japanese ate every part of the whale and utilized even the bones, teeth, and baleen.

   In other words, the Japanese wasted nothing and expressed their gratitude to the whales in various ways. There are many grave mounds and tumulus for whales. A posthumous name was given to each whale and memorial tablets were made. Sometimes towers were erected for their souls. These acts reflect a unique, whale-related Japanese culture.

   In June 1853, American Naval officer Matthew Perry led the East India Squadron to Uraga and demanded that trade with the U.S. be opened. In those days, American whalers frequently caught whales off the Sanriku coast, Hakodate coast and Izu Peninsula. The main purpose behind the demand was to build supply bases for whalers. American whalers harvested only the fat for candles and lamps, dumping everything else. When oil was struck in America, the need for whaling declined. Today, Americans see the Japanese as “barbaric” for killing whales and demand that whaling be banned. The American view on whaling is really racist and self-centered.

   By the way, the Japanese owed much to whales immediately after the World War II. In those days, Japan was short of food and everybody was poor. During the postwar period, around 1947 to 1948, about 46 to 47% of each person’s source of meat was whale meat. Without whales, Japanese would have been severely malnourished and the miraculous postwar Japanese recovery would not have been possible. 

 

   URL: http://www.sdh-fact.com/book-article/1511/

PDF: http://www.sdh-fact.com/CL/Counting-1e.pdf

Questions are welcome.

 

MOTEKI Hiromichi, Acting Chairman

for KASE Hideaki, Chairman

Society for the Dissemination of Historical Fact

Phone: +81-3-3519-4366

Fax: +81-3-3519-4367

Email moteki@sdh-fact.com

URL http://www.sdh-fact.com

Note: Japanese names are rendered surname first in accordance with Japanese custom.

 

 

 

 

Counting the Blessing of Whales:

Insights from a Chopstics-wielding Patriot

Koizumi Takeo

Series No.1: Introduction, TOC

 

IWC (International Whaling Commission) was organized in 1948 for the purpose of conserving whale resources. However, under the trend of natural animal preserving movement, US and some other members dominated the IWC with strong assertion of anti-whaling and decided to adopt 10 years of moratorium of commercial whaling in 1982.

The resolution has a reservation that the moratorium should be reconsidered by 1992

based on the scientific result of research whaling. However, even though scientific data obtained by the research whaling proved that number of whales was much more than previously estimated, rather much increased, the anti-whaling members were stubborn to maintain their insistence of anti-whaling.

Against the purpose of the IWC, they began to assert that “whaling itself should be banned”. No scientific discussion could be permitted at the IWC meeting. Japan finally made a decision to withdraw from the IWC. From July 2018, Japan resumed commercial whaling.

The anti-whaling advocators say that the whale is high intelligent or it is sad to kill whales. Their thought is not based on scientific evidence, rather based on their arbitrary or self-centered conviction. The truth is that they think only they are high class minded, as against savage minded Japanese. This is self-centered typical racism.

Japan has a long tradition of whaling cultured back to Jomon period of nearly 10,000 years. Japan has developed a unique whaling culture. We utilized  all part of whales in various purposes. This is extremely ecological use of whales.

The Japanese always treated whales with respect and spared no effort to show reverence. Japanese have been grateful for the blessings of whales and deeply love and respect them. Evidence of this is that there are memorial mounds and graves of whales in temples near whaling stations where whaling thrived. What is even more surprising is that many temples nationwide give a posthumous name to each of the whales caught and hold memorial services for them.

This book written by Koizumi Takeo, professor emeritus of Tokyo University of Agriculture introduces Japanese whale culture extensively. I believe many people in western countries will appreciate its high quality content of this book. Moreover he urges that whales will play an important role for the preservation of the globe environment in future.

 

   URLhttp://www.sdh-fact.com/book-article/1408/

PDF:　 http://www.sdh-fact.com/CL/Counting-0e.pdf

Profile: http://www.sdh-fact.com/auther/koizumi-takeo/

 

Questions are welcome.

 

MOTEKI Hiromichi, Acting Chairman

for KASE Hideaki, Chairman

Society for the Dissemination of Historical Fact

Phone: +81-3-3519-4366

Fax: +81-3-3519-4367

Email moteki@sdh-fact.com

URL http://www.sdh-fact.com

Note: Japanese names are rendered surname first in accordance with Japanese custom.