Human-Animal Ties: Japanese Takes in Both Life and Death

A gyūnabe-ya in the early Meiji era. From an edition of Agura nabe (The Beef Eater) by Kanagaki Robun. (From the collection of the Yokohama Archives of History)

A monument dedicated to whales on the island of Ōmijima, Nagato, Yamaguchi Prefecture. (© Aflo)

Monuments dedicated to whales are found throughout Japan. This monument is located at the Kagata Shrine in Shinagawa, Tokyo. (© Aflo)