Japan Heritage story
Living with whales on the Kumano coast
鯨とともに生きる
On the Kumano-nada coast of Wakayama, whales were once seen as a gift from the god Ebisu. From the early Edo period whole towns organised around whaling, and its festivals, dances and food culture live on today.
Key facts
- Theme
- Sea and waterside, Festivals and rituals, Food and sake
- Era
- Muromachi, Edo
- Region
- Kansai
- Official name in Japanese
- 鯨とともに生きる
- Official area (in Japanese)
- 和歌山県（新宮市，那智勝浦町，太地町，串本町）
The story
Whales that washed ashore were long treated as a gift of Ebisu, the god of good fortune, and every part was used. In the early Edo period, people descended from the Kumano navy began organised whaling with nets and harpoons. The coast suited it: whales passed close to shore, there were high lookouts and beaches to land the catch, and the warm Kuroshio current ran past at up to 4 knots.
A hunt took over 500 people: lookouts on the hills, net boats with nets 45 to 60 m deep, harpooners, and a team of 80 or more to process the catch. In 1681, 95 whales brought in over 6,000 ryo, and the writer Ihara Saikaku described a torii gate made of whalebone. Shipwrights, smiths and coopers all shared in the trade.
What to see
- Lookout and beacon sites: hilltop spots where watchers signalled the boats.
- Taiji's old stone walls and Wada no sekimon: traces of a town that worked as one community.Google Maps 和田の石門 太地町 (opens in a new tab)
- Hashigui-iwa: a line of rock pillars on the Kushimoto coast.Google Maps 橋杭岩 (opens in a new tab)
- Festivals: the Oyumi festival at Asuka shrine, the Semi festival at Shiogama shrine and the Kochi festival with decorated whale boats.
Plan your trip with the Wakayama prefecture guide and see more history and heritage.
Good to know
- Time a visit for a local festival to see the whale boats or the whale dance.
- Whale meat is still a local dish here; you'll see it on some menus.
- Shingu, Nachikatsuura, Taiji and Kushimoto are all part of this story, so one coastal drive links them.
Questions travellers ask
When did whaling start on the Kumano coast?
Organised net whaling began in the early Edo period, led by people descended from the Kumano navy.
What is the whale dance?
A dance once performed to celebrate a big catch. Schoolchildren in Shingu and Taiji still learn it and perform it at festivals.
Where it comes from
More heritage stories from the same area
- Hirokawa: the tsunami levee built for a hundred generations
- Katsuragi Shugen: where mountain asceticism began
- Nyonin Koya: the temples where women prayed instead of Mount Koya
- Saigoku 33 Kannon Pilgrimage: Japan's 1,300-year journey of the heart
- Wakanoura: a bay of views that inspired poets
- Yuasa: where Japanese soy sauce began
Local foods from the same area
Crafts from the same area
Sources
We checked the facts on this page against these sources.