Diving for Pearls in Japan
Mikimoto & the story of cultured pearls ...
During our recent trip to Japan in search of Japanese 'Akoya' pearls for some of our new cultured pearl jewellery designs, I snapped this shot of an 'Ama' diving for pearls off Toba's Mikimoto Pearl Island - formerly known as Ojima Island.
These women, who brave the cold waters to a depth of 10 meters or more in search of oysters and abolone, wear white in order to scare of the sharks! It is customary for women to carry out the diving as they are reputed to have the ability to hold their breath longer and cope better with the cold water than men. Having retrieved a prized abolone the Ama returns to the surface and tosses it into a wooden bucket attached to her by a long rope. One can hear an eery whistle-like sound as the Ama controls her breathing by slowly exhaling as she resurfaces - this is called "Isobue".
Kokichi Mikimoto was the eldest of five children and was expected to take over his father's noodle shop but instead his fascination with pearls grew as he watched the pearl divers of Ise in his home town. By the age of 30 he and his wife took out a loan to to research the possibility of finding a way to make oysters produce pearls on demand. His early attempts failed but his wife remained steadfast and, despite near bankruptcy, encouraged him to persevere with his dream.
Mikimoto found he was not the only one trying to discover the secret to culturing pearls. A biologist, Tokishi Nishikawa, and a carpenter, Tatsuhei Mise, had discovered a method with the help of a Bristish marine biologist. It was found that in order to culture pearls it was necessary to implant a piece of oyster membrane together with a nucleus of shell into the oyster's body causing the tissue to form a pearl sac. This sac then secretes a 'nacre' around the irritant shell thus resulting in a pearl.
Mikimoto held three patents relating to this technique for culturing pearls but once he bought the rights to the Mise-Nishikawa method in 1916 he became the leading authority in the field and his business grew. He opened stores in Tokyo's prestigious Ginza district and further shops followed in London, Paris and New York.
Kokichi Mikimoto became known as the 'Pearl King' and at one time declared the largest personal income in Japan. Yet he lived his last years in a very modest four room house on Mikimoto Pearl Island - a small wizened man wearing a brown kimono and black bowler hat!
Diving for Pearls
During our recent trip to Japan in search of Japanese 'Akoya' pearls for some of our new cultured pearl jewellery designs, I snapped this shot of an 'Ama' diving for pearls off Toba's Mikimoto Pearl Island - formerly known as Ojima Island.
These women, who brave the cold waters to a depth of 10 meters or more in search of oysters and abolone, wear white in order to scare of the sharks! It is customary for women to carry out the diving as they are reputed to have the ability to hold their breath longer and cope better with the cold water than men. Having retrieved a prized abolone the Ama returns to the surface and tosses it into a wooden bucket attached to her by a long rope. One can hear an eery whistle-like sound as the Ama controls her breathing by slowly exhaling as she resurfaces - this is called "Isobue".
Kokichi Mikimoto was the eldest of five children and was expected to take over his father's noodle shop but instead his fascination with pearls grew as he watched the pearl divers of Ise in his home town. By the age of 30 he and his wife took out a loan to to research the possibility of finding a way to make oysters produce pearls on demand. His early attempts failed but his wife remained steadfast and, despite near bankruptcy, encouraged him to persevere with his dream.
Mikimoto found he was not the only one trying to discover the secret to culturing pearls. A biologist, Tokishi Nishikawa, and a carpenter, Tatsuhei Mise, had discovered a method with the help of a Bristish marine biologist. It was found that in order to culture pearls it was necessary to implant a piece of oyster membrane together with a nucleus of shell into the oyster's body causing the tissue to form a pearl sac. This sac then secretes a 'nacre' around the irritant shell thus resulting in a pearl.
Mikimoto held three patents relating to this technique for culturing pearls but once he bought the rights to the Mise-Nishikawa method in 1916 he became the leading authority in the field and his business grew. He opened stores in Tokyo's prestigious Ginza district and further shops followed in London, Paris and New York.
"I would like to adorn the necks of all the women of the world with pearls" - Kokichi Mikimoto
Kokichi Mikimoto became known as the 'Pearl King' and at one time declared the largest personal income in Japan. Yet he lived his last years in a very modest four room house on Mikimoto Pearl Island - a small wizened man wearing a brown kimono and black bowler hat!
posted by Paul Wright at
09:38
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