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61-year-old Hayashi, emotional and lively-eyed, told the story of her life. Every morning in the pre-dawn twilight, she watched as dozens of ama walked through the shipyard in almost complete silence, lighting their way with bamboo torches. Some walked bare-chested, wearing only a fundoshi (loincloth) and a tenugi (kerchief) on their heads. She waved goodbye to her grandmother and mother - an experienced woman - reflecting on what draws them there, deep into the sea. When she turned 16, they finally invited her to come along.

Now, 45 years later, the ritual of going to sea has not changed at all. She takes off on a boat, dressed from head to toe in a traditional white suit, and dives headfirst into the depths of the sea. Sometimes - a whole kilometer from the coast. Gracefully, like a real mermaid, she disappears into the water, diving to a depth of 10 meters in search of mollusks and algae hidden at the bottom.

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It’s hard to even imagine how difficult it is for ama in icy waters with dangerous currents - without any equipment, without a mask with a snorkel or scuba gear. Accidents are the norm here; encountering sharks will not surprise anyone, and there is no escape from the piercing cold. Over the years of work, Hayashi has lost many good friends at sea. She explains that the main thing for an ama is not the ability to hold its breath underwater for as long as possible, but the ability to find prey as quickly as possible.

While underwater - sometimes for two excruciating minutes - I have to be decisive and not waste precious time. On her best days, Hayashi said, she would return to shore with several wooden buckets filled to the brim with abalone, sea urchins, snails, lobsters and octopus. Traditionally, the Ama dived for precious pearl oysters, but in a good season they could earn up to 27 million yen.

Japan is a country of traditions, and some of them do not die even with the advent of new technologies. There is one type of fishing in the country that has spawned legends around it. This is the extraction of various seafood by female divers. In Japan they are called “Ama”, and only representatives of the fairer sex become them. We can rightfully assume that this material is dedicated to March 8th.

Women divers first appeared in the waters of the Land of the Rising Sun 2000 years ago. Surprisingly, almost nothing has changed since then. Workers today do not use special diving equipment. It is also noteworthy that although men are engaged in this trade, they represent a very small percentage in total.

Basically, fishermen catch bottom creatures: abalone, sazae, sea urchin, sea cucumber, Japanese spiny lobster. In addition, they do not disdain various edible algae, including gelidium and undaria. But the most desirable and expensive prey will be the single-vave mollusk abalone (abalon). It’s no joke, but one copy can fetch about $100 (there must be a joke about the exchange rate somewhere in here).

If you are curious why exactly it is so expensive, then I will try to explain. The fact is that this creature likes to attach itself to rocky bases and it is very difficult to tear it away from them. And this is even under the conditions that the supply of air in your lungs and time are strictly limited. Previously, pearls could be found in such shellfish, which made them even more valuable. Now the pearl fishery exists only for the eyes of tourists.

One should not assume that Ama was local in nature. In the 17th - 19th centuries, fishing brought a lot of money to the state treasury. Japan itself was in self-isolation from the world, however, there was a foreign port in Nagasaki. Trade with Western countries and China passed through it. The sale of agar was especially valuable.

This product was made from algae of the same name and supplied to China. Later it was supplied to other countries. At that time, only female divers could extract such a valuable resource. Subsequently, due to such a demand for algae, “Ama” appeared throughout Japan and became an important source of income for the treasury. True, in the end this led to sad consequences.

Now the Japanese government is trying to keep silent about this, the fact that due to the greed of divers, already in the 19th century, the reserves of agaric algae were undermined. This happened due to the rapid growth in the number of workers in the field, as well as uncontrolled production. Since then, they have been trying to monitor the production, especially with the growth of human technological abilities.

However, it cannot be said that there are no regular scuba divers in Japan. On the contrary, they can be found in the sea, but they are less common. They mainly hunt sea urchins. In Japan, dishes made from it are highly valued for their supposed healing properties. But it is “Ama” that does not allow themselves such luxury as scuba gear.

Divers differ in the way they catch sea animals. The first ones are called “funado”, which is in fact a man with a boat. This is a diver who works with a partner - “tomai-san”. At the same time, the two of them sail out to some place in the sea on a boat and begin their underwater hunting. At the same time, “Ama” ties herself with a weight in order to quickly reach the bottom, and Tomai-san lifts her to the surface using a cable.

It must be understood that such a practice is very dangerous for a diver and requires coordinated action. If the man who pulls “Ama” to the surface hesitates even for a moment, then the girl risks suffocation. In addition, the safety rope can break if it wears out or gets caught on something sharp, then this is also fatal. It is no coincidence that it is called “inochi-zuna” or the rope of life.

The second method of catching sea animals is called “okedo”. In this case, divers work in the coastal zone. There are no boats or lifelines provided. The only landmark other than the shore is the “oke” barrel, into which all the loot is stored. It is curious that with this method of work, you can often meet a whole family contract, and not lonely “Amas”.

Divers put on white robes before starting fishing. This will make it easier to notice them at the bottom and take emergency action if something bad happens to the girl. In addition, experienced Amas have an interesting way of rising from the depths. They rise for a very short period of time and suck in air with a characteristic whistle. Among the foragers this is called the "coastal flute".

The first information about Japanese divers can be found in Chinese chronicles. It is from there that we know about the life and appearance of “Ama” at that time. It became known that most of the girl’s body was covered. They were the ones who were supposed to protect the diver from water spirits and dangerous sea animals. "Ama" had to remove the clothes that covered the images. That is why, most often, the divers were naked. It’s curious, but the tradition of completely undressing before work has survived to this day.

The formation of a pearl is truly a miracle of nature, since it originates in the shell of a mollusk through the entry of foreign bodies. As a result of the protective reaction, the foreign body is enveloped in mother-of-pearl material and a stone of incredible beauty is formed.

What kind of pearl divers are they?

“Pearl fishermen” is the name given to people who engage in this unsafe fishery. The first shellfish hunters appeared around 4 thousand years BC. on the territory of China. No less common pearl destinations are Sri Lanka and Tahiti.

Pearl divers are courageous and courageous people who put their lives at risk every day. To retrieve jewelry from the depths of the sea, you need to have the ability to dive to a depth of 30-50 meters, and also hold your breath for more than one minute.

During this time, the catcher must be extremely careful, since he may be waylaid in the depths of the sea. Many years ago, to protect themselves from toxic bites, some trappers used special linen suits and gloves, and rubbed oils on exposed skin. To collect shellfish, a net was hung around the neck and the nose was pinched with a split bamboo stick.

The catchers acquired the necessary skills to hold air and descend to depth in childhood. Prolonged exposure to salt water and a sharp drop in pressure during diving had a negative impact on the health of divers, as evidenced by the high mortality rate among representatives of this profession.

The thirty-year-old diver looked much older than his age and had significant health problems, such as hypoxia (oxygen starvation), deafness, and rheumatism.

Pearl mining in different countries

In Japan, women have been mining gems for centuries. Their skill is determined by physiological characteristics, which allows Japanese divers, or ama, as they are also called, to dive to decent depths and adapt to low water temperatures.

Just 100 years ago, Japanese women dived only with a mask and a loincloth. Their amazing endurance allowed them to stay underwater for about two minutes at a depth of at least 20 meters. This difficult craft allowed them to earn fairly decent money and become financially independent.

Today there are very few representatives of this ancient profession left. Most ama live in the city of Toba on Mikimoto Pearl Island. Here you can see divers at work, without any gear or equipment.

Since the 18th century, women have also taken the lead in pearl fishing in Korea. They have high performance and endurance, because not everyone can last about two minutes at a depth of 30 meters under water.

Due to the development of industrial pearl production, the ancient craft is slowly becoming a thing of the past. This is also evidenced by the small number of Korean divers living on Jeju Island. Some of them are about 80 years old.

No less mysterious pearl divers are the pearl fishermen, or bagjos, who roam the seas of Southeast Asia. These nomadic people cannot imagine their life without the sea, and land for them is only a temporary refuge for replenishing food supplies and fresh water, as well as selling pearls.

Living on their boat-dwellings, they become catchers of precious stones at a very young age, and quickly learn to dive to a depth of about 30 meters, without any equipment. Their free sea life is full of adventures and dangers, but, oddly enough, this is what makes them happy.

Pearls and modernity

Currently, natural pearls are mined in the Persian Gulf, Red Sea and Sri Lankan waters. Its cost is much higher than cultured pearls, which do not require the same willpower and endurance as pearl divers.

These superhumans have truly incredible abilities and endurance, which have been cultivated over many years. And for this the sea pays them with its incredible jewels.

This is the name given to female divers in Japan who retrieve shells with pearls, edible shellfish, algae from the bottom of the sea - everything that cannot be obtained with ordinary fishing equipment. Ama dives to a depth of 15-20 meters with the help of a heavy load, and collects the “harvest” with her hands or spatulas. This is a purely female profession, since the subcutaneous layer of fat in women is larger than in men, and allows them to stay in the water longer. The men stay in the boats, help load the catch on board, and in case of danger, pull the diver out of the water with a rope. The Japanese have preserved the craft of ama for at least two millennia. Chinese chronicles of the 3rd century BC reported about fish women. e.

Written sources are confirmed by archaeological data: human bones were found on the islands, deformed due to frequent immersion in water. A long stay under water has a detrimental effect on the body: the chest expands, the eardrums noticeably weaken. But despite the difficulties, the Ama do not use technical inventions designed to make their hard work easier. The introduction of scuba gear and wetsuits would lead to an expansion of fishing, and as a result, a reduction or complete disappearance of populations of marine mollusks, therefore, from the entire arsenal of Ama divers, they use only light clothing to retain warmth longer, and underwater goggles to protect their eyes from sea salt.

Nowadays, along the coast of Japan there is a whole world of divers and snorkelers, whose traditional occupation is the underwater collection of oysters, pearl shells, sea snakes and algae. These divers are called Ama.

They live in communities in their villages and practice professional apnea immersion using traditional methods that go back to ancient times. Although the word Ama is used to refer to both a male and female diver, it evokes a more feminine image. The thought of a female diver, especially a nude one, has always been both seductive and poetic. Ama divers traditionally dived without clothing, except for a rope belt with a kaigan - a metal tool shaped like a pig's hoof for tearing out shells and cutting edible algae. They were brought to the dive site in a boat. Ama dived without fins, holding a 10-15 kilogram weight in their hands, or using small lead bars attached to a belt (the prototype of a modern weight belt). They were tied to the boat with a long rope passed through a block.

Having reached the bottom, the woman removed the ballast, which was immediately pulled to the surface by her companion, and quickly began collecting; at the right moment she pulled the rope, and the man in the boat literally pulled her out of the water as quickly as possible. Today's technology has not changed, except that they wear an isothermal suit and fins. Apnea time ranges from 45 to 60 seconds, but can reach two minutes if necessary. The most experienced amaoidos average 50 dives in the morning, followed by another 50 in the afternoon. Between these dives, she rests lying down, performing ventilation, which is accompanied by a long whistle heard from afar. There is a kind of brazier installed on the boat, near which the diver warms up and drinks hot tea when it really gets cold.

Ams earn quite decently. The working season lasted from May 1, when the sea water was still riddled with winter cold, until the beginning of September. Each of them dives daily to a depth of 13-22 meters more than a hundred times. This is approximately 250-280 minutes (4-5 hours) in the water daily. When working in shallow waters, where fish stocks are largely depleted, a diver earns up to $150 a day, and at depths of 20 meters - 3 times more. During a season of such work you can earn several tens of thousands of dollars. But there are fewer and fewer people willing to do such work. Is it any wonder that, for example, in Shirahama, where 40 years ago 1.5 thousand divers worked, now less than 300 people are engaged in this trade. Their average age is 67 years old, the youngest is 50, the oldest is 85 years old!

Few people know that underwater pearl hunters, which in Japan are called ama, these are not strong men, but very fragile women with a flexible body, dexterous hands, and unusually hardy. They are able to stay in cold water for a very long time, looking for precious pearl shells at the bottom.

Not of this world

Translated from Japanese, the word “ama” means “woman of the sea.” This profession is ancient and dates back more than 2000 years. Ama, for their exceptional abilities, can be called people not of this world. They can hold their breath for a long time and descend into the abyss of the sea, note, without special equipment to a depth of 30 meters! Considering that pearls are not found in all shells, one can imagine how difficult this work is.

There are only two places on the globe where you can get very high quality pearls - the Red Sea and the Persian Gulf. Excellent pearls have been mined in the waters of the bay for several centuries. For centuries, the livelihood of many villages depended entirely on successful ama hunting.

Where does it all begin?

Among the locals, as a rule, a good diver was considered to be one who was able to dive to a depth of at least 15 meters and be able to stay under water for at least a minute. Each woman was given ammunition: a purse woven from wire and a fishing net, a split bamboo stick that was supposed to hang around her neck, and leather gloves.

The purse was intended for collecting pearls; the diver pinched her nose with a bamboo stick to prevent water from penetrating there, and gloves were needed to protect the pickers’ fingers from injury.

“Our service is both dangerous and difficult...”

From endless dives into the depths of the sea, the body of divers wears out greatly, and even young women of 30-40 years old look like frail old women: constantly watery eyes, almost complete lack of hearing, trembling hands.

There are dangers lurking for these women underwater. One of them is to be eaten by some sea predator. Sharks, snakes - you never know, all sorts of sea creatures that would like to feast on a fresh catcher. That’s why young ladies-catchers must swim well and show miracles of ingenuity, so as not to once again endanger their lives.

One of these tricks was used by divers when rescuing from a shark. Only by lifting clouds of sand from the bottom could one avoid the sharp shark teeth. With a constant risk of being eaten, a diver must make at least 30 dives during which she does not eat or drink.

What you need to be able to do and know

Just 200-300 years ago, few people knew about the outlandish Ama divers. They also did not know that they worked, as a rule, without clothes, at best - in a loincloth - fundoshi and a hair band. This is how they were depicted in countless engravings by artists of that time who painted in the ukiyo-e style (a movement in Japanese fine art).

Until the 1960s, many divers, especially those living in villages along Japan's Pacific coast, continued to dive with fundoshi alone.

In the villages, the Ama live in their own communities. A long time ago, when no one even knew about underwater ammunition, they dived holding a load weighing 10-15 kilograms in their hands, or attached small lead bars to their waists.

Before diving, the diver was tied to the boat with a long rope, the end of which was pulled through a block. Having reached the bottom, the woman freed herself from the load, which was lifted to the surface along the rope, and immediately began collecting her prey. When the time spent under water expired, she pulled the rope, lowered again into the depths, and she was lifted up.

The modern technique of underwater pearl hunting has not changed significantly, except that the ama now began to wear isothermal overalls and fins.

By the way, experienced ama-oidozodo, professional divers, are able to dive on average 50 times in the morning and 50 times in the afternoon. Between dives, they rest and breathe as deeply as possible, ventilating their lungs.

The season begins in May, when the sea water has not yet had time to warm up properly, and ends in early September. For six months, while precious pearls are being mined, women are freed from all activities.

The Ama's income from pearls was always quite good. Working in shallow water, where almost everything is selected, the diver earned about $150 a day, and at a depth of 20 meters - three times more. It is not difficult to calculate that divers earned tens of thousands of dollars per season. So it turned out that ama was often the only breadwinner for the family!

Now it is almost impossible to find people willing to do such work. In the town of Shirahama, where 1,500 divers worked half a century ago, there are now less than 300 people left. And their age is very respectable: the youngest is 50, the oldest is 85 years old!

Every year, fewer and fewer beautiful “mermaids” go out to fish for pearls - technological progress has reached such godforsaken places. Industrial pearl production became more profitable and efficient than ama work.

Nowadays, it is difficult to imagine that there are still places where pearl divers work the old fashioned way, diving to great depths without any wetsuits or other underwater equipment, carrying, as before, only a bag and a knife.

One such place has actually survived to this day. This is the city of Toba, which is located on Mikimoto Pearl Island. This place is truly special: divers still work here using the old method. Toba has become a tourist mecca. Hundreds of tourists come here to watch the beautiful divers.

The hard, but at the same time not devoid of romance, work of pearl seekers has earned its “honor board” in the form of museums and numerous exhibitions, which also have regular visitors. Currently, there are several such places in the world with exhibitions dedicated to the fearless women of the Ama.

What about others?

Paying tribute to the brave Japanese women, one cannot help but say a few words about pearl mining by other nations. For example, in Vietnam, pearls are grown in special water plantations. A grain of sand is placed in each shell, with which the mollusk then begins to “work.”

When the time comes to check the shells for pearls, workers swim up in boats and pull nets containing shells out of the water. Vietnamese pearls grown in this way can be bought on the market without any problems. Its price is relatively low. The price of Thai pearls is even lower than Vietnamese ones. It is grown on special farms.

Jewels from the Middle Kingdom

The country of the Great Wall and fire dragons is considered the first where they began to look for pearls. They took it out from the bottom of the sea not only to then string it on a thread, make beads and sell it, but also for medicinal purposes. Ancient Chinese medicine is mudra. The principle of using everything that nature provides as medicine has always been a priority for Chinese healers.

In China, pearls are still used as a base for special ointments and face creams. There are no longer professional fishermen in the Middle Kingdom, since pearls have long been grown artificially. The difference with Vietnamese technology is very insignificant. Here, nets containing pearl mussels are tied to bamboo poles and kept in fresh water.

Russian sting pearls

Once upon a time, Russia was among the first ranks of countries rich in pearls. Everyone wore it, including the poorest peasant women. It was mainly mined on the northern rivers, but there were also Black Sea pearls, the so-called Kafa (Kafa is the ancient name of Feodosia).

Especially a lot of pearls were obtained from the shells of the Muna River on the Kola Peninsula. The organization of fishing was mainly carried out by monasteries. Round pearls, without protrusions or growths, were especially valued. They were called “sloping”, that is, easily sliding down an inclined surface. Pearl fishing acquired such a scale that Peter I in 1712, by a special decree, prohibited private individuals from conducting this fishery.

Unfortunately, barbaric mining yielded results: it led to the depletion of pearl shell reserves. And now Russian pearls can only be seen in museums.

Svetlana DENISOVA