The Dori Whale Festival was held in 2023.

Traditional festival in Dori district reenacting the old-style whaling

On Sunday, July 16, the "2023 Dori Whale Festival" was held in the Dori district of Aomi Island, Nagato City. This is a traditional festival in the Dori area, which prospered as a base for old-style whaling in the Edo period (1603-1867). The main event is a demonstration of old-style whaling, and a Japanese boat race is also held.

Japanese Boat Race

Participants compete to make one round trip in a rowing Japanese-style boat.

The competition was held in two parts, the "elementary school students' division" and the "professionals and groups" division, and the "professionals and groups" division featured not only groups from the city but also students from Korea and members of the U.S. Marine Corps, making it a competition with a rich international flavor.

△Korean students

△U.S. Marines.

The "Dolphins" won the elementary school division, and the "Otsu Ryokuyo High School Cutter Club" won the vocational and group divisions.

Demonstration of "old-style whaling

A model whale boat is floated out of the fishing port, and the "Tsugeigumi", a group of volunteers, drives the boat to the port and captures the whale in the port.

First, the members of the "Tsugeigumi" board a Japanese-style boat at the fishing port and depart for the whale boat.

The "Dorihaku Gumi" is made up of volunteers from all over the country as well as local residents and students. The group is characterized by their heroic appearance wearing red loincloths, and some people are so fascinated by this festival that they travel from far away every year to attend.

When you are ready, it's time to go fishing!

They maneuver their boats in unison with their voices and drive the whaleboats into the water.

The harpoon is thrust in the area where the fishing harbor is entered.

Finally, a net is cast, and a few people grab onto the whale to put a stop to it.

With this, the demonstration of old-style whaling came to an end. After the performance, the Japanese-style boat and the whale boat were moved to the landing area in front of the Whale Museum to be unloaded on land.

In Tori, there is a tradition of making offerings to whales caught in the area, and if a whale had a calf in its womb, it was offered together with the calf. At the Whale Festival, a doll of the calf taken from the whale boat is carried to a mound near the Whale Museum to recreate this tradition.

After the dolls were offered, local elementary school students and members of the "Whale Song Preservation Society" each performed the "Whale Song," which was sung during the whale memorial service.

After the whale songs, the festival comes to its finale. We hope the festival will be held again next year.

Related Links

• Whale Museum