Rowing the Eternal Sea - The Story of a Minamata Fisherman

In this compelling oral history, Ogata Masato, fisherman and Minamata disease sufferer, tells of the devastation of methyl mercury poisoning. Spanning fifty years, his story describes the impact of industrial pollution on his own life, on his extended family, and on the fishing culture of the Shiranui Sea. A one-time leader of Minamata disease patients seeking certification and compensation, Masato breaks away to follow his personal path to redemption. Masato's story, larger than any one man or one incident, raises questions we must all consider as beneficiaries of modern industry and technology.

List of contents

Part 1 Translator's Introduction
Part 2 Prologue: "Out to the Mythological Sea"
Part 3 Part I
Chapter 4 A Vibrant Village
Chapter 5 The Bitter Sea
Chapter 6 Competing Souls
Chapter 7 What's Going On?
Chapter 8 Two Hints
Chapter 9 Within the Circle
Chapter 10 School Days
Chapter 11 A Family Ordeal
Chapter 12 Leaving Home
Chapter 13 A Compass Restored
Part 14 Part II
Chapter 15 Rising Tides
Chapter 16 Social Activism
Chapter 17 Life Changes
Chapter 18 Leaving the Movement
Chapter 19 The Depths of Despair
Chapter 20 Facing My Demons
Chapter 21 Tokoyo no fune, Boat to the Eternal World
Chapter 22 Bearing Witness
Chapter 23 A Will of Stone
Chapter 24 A Place of Atonement
Part 25 Part III
Chapter 26 Beneath the Light of the Sun and the Moon
Chapter 27 The Chisso Within Us
Chapter 28 Keep the Embers Glowing
Chapter 29 Nusari, Embracing Life as a Gift
Chapter 30 Moyainaoshi, Moored Together Again
Chapter 31 Epilogue

About the author

Keibo Oiwa is an anthropologist teaching at Meiji Gakuin University in Yokohama. Ogata Masato is a fisherman and activist in Kyushu, Japan. Karen Colligan-Taylor is professor emerita of Japanese studies at the University of Alaska, Fairbanks.

Summary

In this oral history, Ogata Masato, fisherman and Minamata disease sufferer, tells of the devastation of methyl mercury poisoning and the impact of industrial pollution on his own life, on his extended family and on the fishing culture in Minamata Bay, Japan.

Product details

• Authors: Oiwa Keibo, Masato Ogata, Keibo Oiwa, Keibo Ogata Oiwa, Oiwa Keibo
• Assisted by: Karen Colligan-Taylor (Editor), Colligan-Taylor Karen (Editor), Ogata Masato (Editor), Masato Ogata (Editor), Karen Colligan-Taylor (Translation)
• Publisher: Rowman and Littlefield
• Languages: English
• Product format: Paperback / Softback
• Released: 16.10.2001
• EAN: 9780742500211
• ISBN: 978-0-7425-0021-1
• No. of pages: 206
• Series: Asian Voices; Asian Voices (Hardcover); Asian Voices
• Subjects: Fiction > Narrative literature > Letters, diaries; Humanities, art, music > History > Regional and national histories; Natural sciences, medicine, IT, technology > Biology > Ecology; Non-fiction book > History > Miscellaneous; Social sciences, law, business > Sociology > General, dictionaries; Japan, Oral History, Nature / Environmental Conservation & Protection, NATURE / Ecology, SOCIAL SCIENCE / Sociology / General, HISTORY / Social History, Pollution & threats to the environment, Later 20th century c 1950 to c 1999, Social impact of environmental issues, Pollution and threats to the environment, c 1945 to c 2000 (Post-war period)