The seas of Japan offer us not only a majestic sight but also a peaceful place to relax in. But Japan’s sea has a lot of mysteries hidden underneath the waves. The bordering waters of the country has a lot of riches and treasures - including pearls.
Pearl divers or divers in Japan are called ama. The tradition of diving has been around for almost 2000 years. Most of the ama are women and they dive with their bodies bare, with only a loin cloth to cover them and goggles to see underwater clearly. They dive for oysters, abalone, and seaweed. As this is a millennium-old tradition, no apparatus is used when diving, the women use their lungs alone to survive the 30-feet dive. The ama also has a deity that serves as their protector whenever they dive, Ishigami.
Pearls are the top harvest from the seas of Japan. Mikimoto Pearl Island in Mie prefecture is the top destination for harvesting pearls and ama divers. For Mikimoto divers, they no longer dive with their bodies bare. Instead, they wear a white body suit to cover their bodies. Mikimoto divers insert a pearl-producing substance inside the oyster so it will be able to create pearls for another harvest. They also already have an apparatus to help them breathe underwater. At current times, Mikimoto Pearl Island no longer allows ama to dive. Instead, they use various machines to the work the amas have previously done.
There were almost 4000 ama divers in the 1970s in Mie prefecture alone. But sadly, the number of divers have been decreasing since machines started to takeover their job. More and more women from ama families also shifted to other industries, thus leaving the diving job completely.
The diving tradition and culture in Japan has been slowly dying throughout the years and a lot of efforts by the local governments are being done to promote the ama culture.
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