In 1780, an unidentified Japanese artist created this striking watercolor image that feels as much a part of the 21st century as the 18th.

"A whale on the beach is wealth for seven villages". This Japanese proverb explains that country's reverential regard for this mammal as its symbol of good fortune and prosperity. The whale provided a wide variety of products for a broad range of uses and crafts; very little was left to waste.

The Japanese traditionally utilized whales found dead or dying near shore. In 1675, Wada Kakuemon developed the use of nets to capture whales in the open sea. Within a few decades, Japanese whaling was a large-scale commercial endeavor.

For nearly three hundred years, the whale population offshore Japan remained constant, its stock in balance with the level of commercial fishing. Increased international whaling there during the last half of the 20th century resulted in a dramatic reduction of the population and, subsequently, in the imposition of quotas.