Series | Ca’ Foscari Japanese Studies
Edited book | Small-scale Fisheries in Japan
Chapter | Fishing with kuji
Fishing with kuji
Abstract
Existing studies of early-modern and modern fishing maps from across Japan have not examined how they were used by fishers themselves. This paper focuses on practices of ‘fishing with kuji’ (籤, lottery), in which lottery systems are used to determine fishing area usage, to understand the folk customs associated with fishing area maps. This paper focuses primarily on coastal areas of the eastern Kii Peninsula. Diverse fishing methods, such as gill nets and four-armed scoop nets, are used by different villages in this region. However, the villages each face a limited availability of coastal fishing areas. Out of necessity, the fishing areas must be divided, giving rise to fishing area maps, and the practice of assigning areas to fishers using kuji. Each region has also developed unique practices which are used during fishing seasons. These kuji have their origins in religious practices. However, an examination of the kuji draws in these coastal fisheries reveals both a method to ensure the equal distribution of fishing opportunities, and a view of a world in which fishers are constantly subject to the harsh whims of nature.
Submitted: Sept. 8, 2017 | Accepted: Dec. 31, 2017 | Published March 26, 2018 | Language: en
Keywords l fishing • Map of fishing areas • Festival • Fishing regulation • Lottery
Copyright © 2018 Shūichi Kawashima. This is an open-access work distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction is permitted, provided that the original author(s) and the copyright owner(s) are credited and that the original publication is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. The license allows for commercial use. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
Permalink http://doi.org/10.30687/978-88-6969-226-0/004
