Traditional Japanese divers restore 'balance' to the sea

Marine culture is dominated by women in the fishing villages of the Ise Peninsula

These women work as ama sea divers, catching fish and shellfish and collecting seaweed in Japan's Ise Bay. Protective symbols are stitched onto their bonnets to ward off danger and ensure a safe return. (Stephen Mansfield)

STEPHEN MANSFIELD, Contributing writer

August 18, 2021 08:00 JST

OSATSU, Japan -- I am sitting inside a wooden hut, a simple structure known as an amagoya, in the fishing village of Osatsu, on the east coast of the Ise Peninsula, an area of great beauty located on the southwestern coast of Japan's main island of Honshu.