Ama (海女, "sea women") areJapanesedivers famous for collecting pearls, though traditionally their main catch isseafood.[1] The vast majority ofama are women.
Japanese tradition holds that the practice ofama may be 2,000 years old.[2]
Pearl divers in white uniforms, 1921
Records of femalepearl divers, orama, date back as early as AD 927 in Japan'sHeian period. Earlyama were known to dive forseafood and were honored with the task of retrievingabalone for shrines and imperial emperors.Ama traditionally wear white, as the colour represents purity and also to possibly ward offsharks. Traditionally and even as recently as the 1960s,ama dived wearing only aloincloth, but in the 20th century, the divers adopted an all-white sheer diving uniform in order to be more presentable while diving.[3][4] Even in modern times,ama dive withoutscuba gear orair tanks, making them a traditional sort offreediver.
Pearl divingama were considered rare in the early years of diving. However,Mikimoto Kōkichi's discovery and production of thecultured pearl in 1893 produced a great demand forama. He established theMikimoto Pearl Island in Toba and used theama's findings to grow his business internationally.[5] Nowadays, the pearl-divingama are viewed as a tourist attraction at Mikimoto Pearl Island.[6] The number ofama continue to dwindle as this ancient technique becomes less and less practiced, due to disinterest in the new generation of women and the dwindling demand for their activity. In the 1940s, 6,000ama were reported active along the coasts of Japan, while todayama practice at numbers more along the scale of 60 or 70 divers in a generation.
Women began diving asama as early as 12 and 13 years old, taught by elderama. Despite their early start, divers are known to be active well into their 70s, with extreme examples ofama divers in their 90s.[7] In Japan, women were considered to be superior divers due to the distribution of their fat and their ability to hold their breath.[6] The garments of theama have changed throughout time, from the original loincloth to the white sheer garbs and eventually to the modern diving wetsuit.
Pearl diver with headscarf, 1935
Duty and superstition mark the world of theama. One traditional article of clothing that has stood the test of time is the headscarf. The headscarves are adorned with symbols such as the star-shapedseiman and thedouman ("Monk's amulet"),[8] which have the function of bringing luck to the diver and warding off evil. Theama are also known to create small shrines near their diving location where they will visit after diving in order to thank the gods for their safe return.[4]
Theama were expected to endure harsh conditions while diving, such as freezing temperatures and great pressures from the depths of the sea. Through the practice, manyama were noted to lose weight during the months of diving seasons.Ama practiced a breathing technique in which the divers would release air in a long whistle once they resurfaced from a dive. This whistling became a defining characteristic of theama, as this technique is unique to them.[4]
Amanchu! is a Japanesemanga series, later adapted intoan anime. Its name is a longer version of the word'ama', and its subject matter involves female divers.
Ama-San, a 2016 documentary film by Portuguese director Cláudia Varejão, that follows the daily life of three Japanese women who have been diving together, for 30 years, in a small fishing village on theShima Peninsula.[9]
Ama: Women of the Sea, an award-winning 2019 documentary film by British-Japanese filmmakerGeorgie Yukiko Donovan, explores the last of Japan's 'women of the sea' and their fight to preserve their 3,000 year old way of life.[10] She was one of five filmmakers awarded a grant of £20,000 to make the film, as part of the Female Film Force, an initiative created to actively address the gender imbalance within the film industry.[11]
Tampopo, a 1985 dramatic comedy film byJûzô Itami includes a series of vignettes about the erotic and cinematic passions of a gangster in a white suit and his moll, one of which is a reminiscence about eating a fresh oyster from the hand of an ama girl at the seashore.
Violated Paradise, a 1963 film byMarion Gering, presented as a cultural documentary. The film picture a modern geisha traveling through Japan trying to find a job as entertainer, and who ends up by finding love and a job as ama.
^"海女漁業文化-海女漁業の振興、海女文化の保存・継承-" [Promoting and Preserving the Heritage of Ama Divers' Fishing Culture].Toba City (in Japanese).Archived from the original on Feb 1, 2024. Retrieved25 November 2021.
