Japanese Prints #003: “スルメ” & Hakodate’s Squid Dance!
A little research to go along with Fumio Kitaoka’s print: 鳥賊"干し場 (Squid Drying Grounds). A fabulous piece depicting a day’s squid catch drying in the sun - outside on bamboo blinds/screens as once was the traditional way of times past. Historically, squid was commonly consumed in a preserved, sun-dried state known as "surume (スルメ)”. The sun-drying of squid/cuttlefish (烏賊 “ika”) still exists in some remote rural areas of Japan, but has now unfortunately all but been replaced by automated machinery.
Hakodate, Hokkaido, is one of the largest ika (烏賊 (squid)) fishing areas in Japan. The Pacific squid is symbolic to the city - celebrated with the lively “ika odori/(Squid Dance)”(函館イカ踊り) during the Hakodate Harbour Festival (函館港まつり). Highlighting the region's deep-rooted squid industry and cultural festivities, the city celebrates the squid festival with floats, parades, & dance between 1st-5th of August every year.
Japan’s Squid Celebration – Hakodate Annual Port Festival | StickyMangoRice | July 27, 2021 | Blog - Derrick @ StickyMangoRice | https://stickymangorice.com/
Official Website: HAKODATE MINATO MATSURI | Hakodate International Tourism and Convention Association | http://www.hakodate-minatomatsuri.org/