(Voice actor) Ms.Carolyn Miller

During the Edo period, beached whales brought much ado at the shores. That was because whales had been used exhaustively in Japan since ancient times. Whales were not just valued for the meat. The fat was used for oil lamps and as pest repellent in the rice fields to keep away rice eating locusts. The baleen was made into ornamental items such as hair accessories. Bow strings were crafted from their elastic muscles, and valued medicine from their blood. The bone, teeth and skin all had purposes as people claimed there was nothing of a whale to be wasted. Whales were thoroughly used, processed into various items in people’s lives. Edo people also left a book of whale cuisine that depicts 70 different parts of a whale and the best recipe for each, based on many trials. Whales were that indispensable to the Japanese life back then. So, when a whale swam in at Shinagawa, the deep end of Tokyo bay, in 1798, the commotion was even greater than for the washups at the shores. For the people who lived in seaside regions of The Pacific ocean such as Tosa (Kochi) and Kii (Wakayama) where whaling was common, whales were somewhat familiar animals. But we are talking about the Edo period, when there was no encyclopedia nor photography. For most people in the Edo area this was the first whale they had ever seen. Furthermore, this particular whale measured about 17 meters in length and 2 meters in height. For the Edo people who had never seen an elephant or giraffe, this was the very first very large animal they had encountered. And this was a large animal swimming in Shinagawa bay. That attracted many people from all around who wanted to get a glimpse. It was like a carnival everyday. Since Shinagawa was a post-town (a town at where travelers slept) travelers must have also stopped by to see the whale so they could bring the story back home. And where there are tourists, there are business opportunities. People started making money by charging passengers to go closer to the whale by boat, and opening food and drink stands. Shinagawa and the town of Edo sprung up with this quite unexpected whale frenzy. Finally, a “Highness” spoke up that he would like to see the whale. Who on earth do you think this could be, wishing to watch a whale? You will learn all about him here. You will also see what happened after the whale frenzy; how the Edo people later treated the whale. Enjoy!