For years, pro-whaling forces and ardent anti whaling organizations in Japan and abroad have wrestled with a contentious and highly emotive issue, while propone

This book gives a social anthropological account of whaling culture in Japan. When originally published this was the first comprehensive account in English of t

Today, Japan defends its controversial whaling expeditions by invoking tradition--but what was the historical reality? In examining the techniques and impacts o

Hiroyuki Watanabe investigates how the numerous relationships between people and whales in Japan become reduced to the single relationship of killing whales for

Includes chapters on the history of whaling in Japan, uses of whale meat and social integration and whaling culture. Appendices include Japanese and English nam