"Fur seals are caught near Matsumac, Hokkaido, and in southern Tsugaru, Aosori 
Prefecture. The fur seal looks like a sea-lion, with greyish black hair. The female is 
smaller than the male. The teeth are arranged in double rows, outer and inner, It usually 
lives in deep water, but sometimes comes to the shallow seas. Fishermen catch fur seals 
at sea with a harpoon from small boats, and from the rocks by shooting with bow and arrow. 
The fur seal is never found in seas where corals exist, as it dislikes warm water, sspe- 
cially in sumer. The most effective way to catch them is to haul them from the sea with 
an iron hook on a long rope. They are exceedingly over-sexed, especially the female. Ths 
sexes are not distinguishable externally except by the existence of the penis in the male. 
In May and June they bear their young. They swim over the sea where the north wind blows, 
catching small sardines.* 
An Osaka medical practitioner named Terajisa published, in 1713, a famous series 
of 105 illustrated volumes describing natural objects of Japan and China. As a physician, 
Terajima naturally was interested in the fur senl as a source of food and medicine, but it 
is doubtful if he ever saw one. He probably ab:tracted most of his information from sar- 
lier works and from travelers' tales, for much of his account is obviously hearsay (Bibl 2); 
"The fur seal is reported to come not only from such northern districts as Man- 
churia and Korea, but also from southern seas near Safusai[ ?). Its fur resembles that of 
the fox in color. The shape of its tail is like that of a fish, and it has no fore-linbs. 
Ite male sex-organ is called the umbilicus, to which it is connected. It lives in the sea 
of Matsumae. Its size is about two or three shaku [about three feet) 4/. It is half fish, 
half animal, has a head like a cat [Figure 3],its mouth is pointed, and it has eyes and 
nose but no outer ears, instead a small bare pore. Its teeth are in one line above and 
two below, and it chews its food. Its tail is branched in two like that of a gold fish, 
but is black in color and has five toes on it. It has fins instead of feet. Sexes are 
difficult to identify, and can only be told by the presence or absence of testes, which 
are four to five sun [about six inches | long, black, and about the thickness of a thumb. 
It likes to sleep. Natives prefer the smaller ones. It breeds in May and June and in 
this period feeds on sardines near the sea surface. The male sex-organ, which is connected 
to the umbilicus, is removed for nedicine, and so strong in ite vapour that a dog which 
eats it will lose its hair, and its skin will become so inflamed that it dies. Smaller 
ones are called ‘amoshippe', and may be eaten vhen it is cold to keep the rump and feet 
warm. Hence the natives of Matsumae regard it as good food, and the people of Hizen have 
the same custon.* 
The first Japanese to write of 
the fur seal from close association was 
probably Shitomi, an itinerant artist 
who wandered around Japan for 20 years 
aketching the people, the countryside, 
and the marine and animal life he en- 
countered, and who published in 1798 a 
five-volume illustrated account of his 
travels. In his peregrinations Shitomi 
quite evidently visited southwestern 
Hokkaido, for he writes of the fur seal 
trade there with an authority that 
could be gained only by personal famiit- 
arity with it. That he employed a loose 
and questionable nomenclature for the 
animal (which apparently worried him 
Figure 3. - The fur seal, aa shown considerably), that his anatomical terms 
in Bzo Miyage (Bibl 5, vol 2, p 20), 
which was vritten in 1801. Transla- 

tion of the caption: "Fur seal (ot- 4/ YFor the conversion factors from Jap- 
tosel). From 3-4 shaku to 5-7 shaku. anese to English units of measure- 
Color pale black, hair short," ment see Appendix D. 
