2023 Volume 75 Issue 1 Pages 25-47
A stone tidal weir, named ishihibi, is a traditional large-scale fixed gear that is constructed using stones in seaward slopes where tidal changes are pronounced. It holds schools of fish that come ashore during high tide and catches them during low tide. This paper examines how ishihibi fishing has been represented in the geography of fisheries in Japan and its descriptions by geographers, focusing on research papers published from 1950 to 1980. The first geographer to record ishihibi was Keiichi Yoshida. He clarified that ishihibi fishing, which exists in the Ariake Sea, is a characteristic fishing activity that is performed according to the natural environment. Yoshihiko Yabuuchi then focused on ishihibi in the context of the stages of development and global distribution of fishing gear. Based on Yabuuchi’s research, geographers in the 1960s and 1970s, engaged in surveys and research in coastal areas around the world. They mainly regarded ishihibi fishing as one of the indicators of fishing culture and provided many descriptions of it. However, in the 1980s, studies and descriptions of ishihibi disappeared. This sudden lack of research interest in ishihibi was caused by methodological limitations of research on fishing culture, investigating the distribution and diffusion of fishing gear and the reduction in use of ishihibi in various places due to the development of modern boat fishing.
