On Dolphins and the Japanese. Commentary by Ikeda Mitsuho

Abstract

Japan is widely known around the world due to the particular nature of its culture and all the contributions this country has made to several fields of knowledge. Even though there is plenty of information about Japan today, it is also true that Western people still have prejudices about this culture. How has this Asian nation perceived dolphins? This article written by a Japanese cultural anthropologist puts this topic on the table and examines different attitudes that the Japanese have adopted historically when dealing with these mammals in some way. It does not analyze only the local custom of whaling and dolphin fishing from the standpoint of Japanese people, but [it] also exposes some traditions related to coexisting with these animals. The figure at the center of this debate is none other than Yanagita Kunio, the founder of folklore studies in Japan.