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Records of female pearl divers, or ama, date back as early as AD 927 in Japan's Heian period. Early ama were known to dive for seafood and were honored with the task of retrieving abalone for shrines and imperial emperors. Ama traditionally wear white, as the colour represents purity and also to possibly ward off sharks.
Ohno is an ama diver, or a “sea woman” as they are known in Japan. For centuries, these traditional fisherwomen have lived off the riches of the waters around the Ise-Shima region, collecting ...
Leftmost print of Awabi-tori, Utamaro, c. 1788–90. The Japanese ukiyo-e artist Kitagawa Utamaro made a number of prints depicting ama divers—women whose work is to dive for shellfish or pearls—catching haliotis abalone sea snails.
Bearing torches that lit up the night as they swam out into the ocean, Japan's storied "ama" prayed for an abundant catch in a ceremony held by these female free divers for decades. This year ...
The island is owned by Mikimoto Pearl Museum Co., Ltd. (株式会社ミキモト真珠島, Kabushiki-Gaisha-Mikimoto-Shinju-Jima), which operates the island as a tourist attraction, exhibiting pearls and pearl craft goods, and holding shows featuring ama divers.
During the summer months female ama divers dive for abalone, Turbo sazae and Gelidiaceae for about 4–5 hours per day, following a long tradition that predates the use of wetsuits. [3] There is a small fishing port, and a ferry runs to Wajima on the mainland. The island is a haven for migratory birds, and attracts tourists for birdwatching.
An ama pearl diver in Japan. Pearl hunting, also known as pearl fishing or pearling, is the activity of recovering or attempting to recover pearls from wild molluscs, usually oysters or mussels, in the sea or freshwater. Pearl hunting was prevalent in the Persian Gulf region and Japan for thousands of years.
Ama Girls is a 1958 American short documentary film produced by Ben Sharpsteen. It was part of Disney's People & Places series. It won an Oscar at the 31st Academy Awards in 1959 for Documentary Short Subject. [1] It is also known as Japan Harvests the Sea. It depicts the lives of ama divers, Japanese women who dive for pearls. [2]