Ama divers

Nihongo|Ama|海人|; women 海女; men 海士;, uminchu (海人 in Okinawa Islands) or kaito (in Izu Peninsula) are Japanese divers, famous for collecting pearls. The majority of ama are women.

The word "ama" literally means "sea person." Japanese tradition holds that the practice of ama divers may be 2,000 years old. [cite book |last=Rahn |first=H. |coauthors=Yokoyama, T. |title=Physiology of Breath-Hold Diving and the Ama of Japan. |year=1965 |publisher=National Academy of Sciences - National Research Council |location=United States |isbn=0309013410 |pages=369 |url=http://archive.rubicon-foundation.org/3279 |accessdate=2008-04-25 ] Traditionally, and even as recently as the 1960s, ama dived wearing only a loincloth. Even in modern times, ama dive without scuba gear or air tanks, making them a traditional sort of free-diver. Depending on the region, ama may dive with masks, fins, and torso-covering wetsuits at the most. Only divers who work for tourist attractions use white, partially transparent suits.

Ama are famous for pearl diving, but originally they dived for food like seaweed, shellfish, lobsters, octopus, and sea urchins — and oysters which sometimes have pearls.

Ama divers can keep diving well into old age. Usually they also have another job, typically working on a farm.

It's supposed that the majority of ama are women because of how their bodies differ from men. They naturally have more body fat, which ensures that they can stay warmer in colder water.

See also Korean "haenyo".

In pop culture

In the Ian Fleming James Bond series, Bond travels to Japan in the novel "You Only Live Twice". He meets and marries Ama diver Kissy Suzuki. The character was also portrayed in the film version.

References

External links

* [http://www2.ocn.ne.jp/~amagaku/ Welcome to Ama Cultural Village] in Japanese
* [http://www.uhpress.hawaii.edu] Resource for "Identity and Ritual in a Japanese Village", covering Ama diversThe Sound of Waves by Yukio Mishimo
* [http://archive.rubicon-foundation.org/dspace/simple-search?query=Ama&submit=Go Ama diver physiology articles]