This is "An Ordinary Whale" (2025), a collection of works by Koretsune Sakura.
This book is a re-edited compilation of the first five issues of "An Ordinary Whale," a limited-edition publication that compiled whale-related cultures and stories Koretsune encountered during her fieldwork in various places such as Tohoku and Alaska, along with her embroidery works.
The scent of whales carried on the wind, karinto (fried dough cookies) made with whale oil, stone monuments enshrining whales as gods, whaling ships that were symbols of towns, drums made from whale internal membranes and walrus tusks, dances that predict the outcome of hunts, an ancient whaling boat built by a grandfather, and whales depicted on kimonos made to celebrate a big catch—.
This is a story about "ordinary whales" that breathe life into the daily lives of people around the world, including Abashiri, Ishinomaki, Miura Peninsula, Wakayama, and Alaska.
190mm × 130mm 320 pages,
Temporary French binding, offset print
The binding and title... a wonderful collection of works that you can't help but pick up just by looking at it. What do you associate with the word "whale"? Even though they are mammals like us, whales are overwhelmingly large and roam the ocean. I remember being startled by their small eyes despite their colossal bodies. The book can be read in both Japanese and English, opening from the right and left, respectively (Ammel).
