真珠養殖場のある場所は山と海が近くに存在し、プランクトンが豊富な、穏やかな海。
とても風光明媚なところです。
The place located the pearl bed is very scenic, both the mountain and Sea are close, they are existing  together.
The sea has to be calm and plankton a lot.

Here  seedling production of Acoya pearl. they are  growing there. He check the certain temperature of the sea to submerge baby Acoya pearl in the sea.  It should be careful, because Acoya pearl likes 15-18℃

After fertilization, Acoya shell is growing in this room.  ↑ they are just born, the size is 0.04mm.

After fertilization, 5-18 days passed

After fertilization, 15-25 days passed, the shape becomes appearing

This is the feeding room for Acoya pearl. Feed for Acoya shell, it’s a ‘plankton’ is making in this room.
The color of deep green is ready to eat. So I understand  why the color of sea around here is very green. This is most interesting room for me.

feeding to Acoya pearl

The size of shape is 2-3 mm, many many many acoya pearls

This is the memorial tower of Acoya pearl. Because they must lose their life to take off pearls and cells..so this tower said that we should say thank you so much for your life. Around 1957, the pearl had been main things to export overseas.

go to the next journey

ピース貝よりピースきり/cutting mantle from piece shells

Mr. Matsuda san, he is very mature about Acoya Pearl. He taught how to cut the mantle to make beautiful pearl.

They are fitting the core into the mother of Acoya pearl, mantle that was cut above should put into with Core.

They are the mother of Acoya pearl (The Core is going to put into these shells inside)

I asked what are you doing? he said that we give bit damages to mother Acoya pearl shells to put into core. Because an active mother of pearl shells can bring up the core easily after putting core inside them

Acoya pearl put into the pure water, this is the way to protect  from bad insect, shells which covered on shells  in the sea. So they should take care to wash them almost once a week.

Woman in Kyushyu, They are good worker  with warm heart always. They are strong.

あこや貝を３年間かけ育て、春に玉入れを行い、冬、育てた真珠を取り出す。さらに玉を入れたのち、美しい真珠が生まれてくるまで育てるためには、様々な工夫や絶え間ない母貝へのお手入れが施されます。
例えば美しい真珠を取り出すためには、１週間に１回はあこや貝を海から引き上げ付着物から守るための洗浄など、”生き物”を扱うお仕事なのでとても手もかかる仕事です。
各養殖場の方々のそれぞれの工夫を施した育てかたがあり、玉入れの仕方や、ピース切りの仕方から生まれてくる真珠は全て違う出来上がりで生まれて来ます。その玉入れを行う人の状態も影響されると思います。全く同じ珠は二つとなく、様々な偶然と人の技術の高まりや知恵からそれぞれの個性で生まれてくるのが真珠だと思います。

真珠を養殖する環境はとても重要です。その年の気候にもとても影響されます。美しい海は真珠に悪い虫や汚れもつきにくいので、綺麗な海で育った真珠は美しい珠で誕生します。山が生き生きとして海が美しく、その環境が良ければ良いほど美しい真珠が生まれると言って良いでしょう。真珠は人間と同じです。
全て農作物も、真珠も、育てる現場が見えないために、命とはかけ離れたものとみられていることが多い気がします。
手を使い、五感を使いながら仕事をする現場の人たちは、沢山のことをご存知です。とても大事なことがここにはあります。　　私はこの見えない部分に光が当たるように、みなさんに様々なことをお伝えしていけたらと考えています。

・・・真珠、その命を落とし、その美を生む。

Photo by
Kenichi Mukoudan,
C& Chitose Ohchi

***great thanks for Mr. Mukoudan -san!