Travelling Hunters in Modern Japan

Case Study of Drive Hunting Expeditions in the Islands of the Seto Inland Sea

Abstract

Since the 1980s, wild boars have migrated from the mainland to the islands of the Seto Inland Sea, causing damage to agriculture and daily life. However, there are few local hunters capable of catching them on these islands. A group from Sakawa Town in Kochi Prefecture started hunting wild boars on the islands of Hiroshima Prefecture in the 2000s. This expeditionary hunting was established and is sustained by factors such as a network facilitated by hunting dogs, the abundance of game, absence of competing hunting groups, the skills of hunting dogs, and relationships with local farmers.