Matsuda pearl farm
in Kujyuku islands, Nagasaki
松田真珠＠北九十九島
北九十九島にある松田さんの真珠養殖場所。九十九島は実際208もの島があるそうです。小さな教会が入江に面しているとても静かな場所です。船にのり出発。
Mr Matsuda’s pearl bed is in north Kujuku Islands. It’s like a secret cove, there is a small church in front of a sea. We get into a boat to go its pearl bed.
これは大きさが10-15mmのあこや貝の赤ちゃんたち。流れの静かな海で育ちます。
These are babies of Akoya shell, the size is 10-15mm now. they can only grow up in calm sea.
トム・ソーヤのような海に浮かんだ松田さんの真珠小屋。ここで、貝を洗ったりいろんな作業をします。
Mr. Matsuda’s house floating in the sea. It’s like a novel,the adventure of Tom Sawyer. Mr. Matsuda is working here.
このあこや貝の中で真珠たちはその美しい珠を作っているのです。
There are Akoya shells, growing up beauty pearls inside shell now.
養殖のあこや貝は美しい真珠を作るために大変手間がかかっています。これは真珠の外側についたフジツボや汚れを洗っているところ。７日に一度は海から引き上げ、何百個を水圧により洗います。その時に育たずすでに死んでいる貝もあります。こぼれ出て来た珠は美しく巻いているものと、全く巻いていないものと（核だけの意。白いものが核）また色も様々です。
Akoya pearls need lots of care by people to make a beautiful pearl. Akoya shells are pulled up the boat from the sea once in seven days then they have to be washed to take off dirty things and barnacles with strong water pressure. We find some shells that has died already. During washing them, some pearls come out.
Some pearls grow up safely, but some pearls can not grow up, it failed to wrap of core. The color of pearls are colorful. Even though their main color is white, but pinkish white, yellow white, gray white, really purple, etc…they are actually unique pieces.
おまけ😎 ahaha
真珠の養殖は手のかかる生き物を飼っているのと同じで、大変な時間と手間がかかっています。
自然の整った条件と人の愛情と偶然が美しい真珠を生み出します。人に様々な個性があるように、一つ一つ違う個性があるのが真珠です。何も白い珠だけでなく真珠にも様々な個性があって良いのだと私は思います。それが生き物の証拠です。
そしてこの優しい真珠には激しい命の交換が存在しています。その命を落とし、美を生む真珠、だからこそ、真珠は美しいのだと思います。
To grow up Akoya shell, it’s required a lot of care and spend times. To make a beautiful pearl, the sea must be beautiful, the condition of atmosphere is an important and people take care a lot. Then all these condition is gathering together could make a beautiful pearl by coincidence .
As if each person is unique, each pearl is also unique. It is normal that the pearl has each color, not just a sphere or white. It’s an evidence of life, creature.
Then they look very elegant…but to born a beauty, their life are so hard. Pearls, they lose life to give birth to beautiful pearls. That is why the pearl is so beautiful for its lost life….
The map of Kujuku Islands
http://www.pearlsea.jp/99islands/
撮影：Kiyoshi Nakamura, C& Chitose Ohchi