Gods of the Sea - Whales and Coastal Communities in Northeast Japan, C.1600-2019

Challenging common portrayals of Japan as a centuries-old whaling nation, Fynn Holm shows that many coastal communities in early modern Northeast Japan believed whales to be the incarnation of the god of the sea that brought fish to the shore, leading to violent anti-whaling protests that shocked the country.

List of contents

Part One. Living with Whales, 1600-1850; 1. The Whale Pilgrimage; 2. The Beached God; 3. Bringing Sardines to the Shore; 4. Establishing Whaling in the North; Part Two. Destroying the Cetosphere, 1850-2019; 5. The Whaling Empire; 6. The First Whaling Town; 7. Burning Down the Whaling Station; 8. Washing Away the Past.

About the author

Fynn Holm is a Postdoctoral Researcher in the Economic, Social, and Environmental History department at University of Bern.

Product details

• Authors: Fynn Holm, Fynn (Eberhard-Karls-Universitat Tubingen Holm
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press ELT
• Languages: English
• Product format: Paperback / Softback
• Released: 30.04.2025
• EAN: 9781009305556
• ISBN: 978-1-0-0930555-6
• No. of pages: 233
• Series: Cambridge Oceanic Histories
• Subjects: Humanities, art, music > History > Regional and national histories; Non-fiction book > History > Miscellaneous; Japan, Russia, HISTORY / Asia / General, Norway, maritime history, c 1500 onwards to present day, Asian History, Fisheries and related industries