Ishinomaki fisherman turns catch into art Mr. A, a 21-year-old native of Hachinohe, Aomori Prefecture, came to Ishinomaki, Miyagi Prefecture, in April to pursue a career as both a fisherman and an artist. Mr. A s fascination with pictures of fish and nature had taken him to Tohoku University of Art and Design in Yamagata to study Japanese-style painting. However, last September, money problems forced him to drop out during his sophomore year. Last December, while staying with relatives in Hanno, Saitama Prefecture, to look for work, he attended a fisheries industry job seminar in Tokyo that eventually led him to answer a call for young people to take up fishing in the Sanriku region. Staff at a booth for Fisherman Japan, an organization based in Ishinomaki, said they were looking for young fishermen to work at ports along the Sanriku Coast that were destroyed by the tsunami in the Great East Japan Earthquake of 211. They enthusiastically described the life of a fisherman, surrounded by nature and the bounty of the sea. When Mr. A was a child, he would spend hours tracing pictures of fish and insects from books. His passion for nature and living things made him want to become a Japanese-style painter. I d never imagined what it would be like to be a fisherman, but I was attracted to the idea, he recalled. Eventually he decided to move to the Oginohama district of Ishinomaki, on the Oshika Peninsula, to pursue both paths. Just once I d like to draw the pictures I want, surrounded by Mother Nature, he recalled thinking. Fisherman Japan introduced him to an abandoned house that had been repaired, and he began learning the trade from a fisherman who caught oysters, sand lance and octopus. Seventy percent of the roughly 33 households in the Oginohama district were swept away by the tsunami, killing 24 people. Before the disaster, there were 25 fishermen in the area. Now, due to the loss of fishing boats and other issues, only 15 are active. The local fisherman s cooperative association and Fisherman Japan are pleased Mr. A decided to move to the area. They hope his desire to be a fisherman will attract people from other areas. Still, fishing has not come easy for Mr. A. He has had trouble remembering the multiple, complex ways of tying the ropes used on the boat. And sometimes the local dialect is difficult to understand. But he also has a lot of free time. Whenever he has a day off due to stormy weather, or comes back to port early after fishing in the morning, he has time to focus on his drawing. Mr. A sometimes creates designs based on the fish he caught that day. He also made an illustration for a charity helping victims of the Kumamoto Earthquake that struck in April. Mr. A said he could devote his career to painting the sun sinking into the sea in Ishinomaki,

making everything around it red. I want to become a full-fledged fisherman soon, so I can help Ishinomaki recover. And I want to keep drawing, he said. The Yomiuri Shimbun, The Japan News, 216/7/15 bounty: dialect: sand lance: full-fledged: Why did Mr. A decide to study at Tohoku University of Art and Design? Because there would be no money problems. Because he was interested in fish and nature. Because he didn t like Japanese-style painting. Because he could study how to be a fisherman. Where was the fisheries industry job seminar held? In Saitama. In the Sanriku region. In Tohoku. In Tokyo. Which of the following is not true of Mr. A as a child? He used to imagine becoming a fisherman. He used to trace pictures of fish. He used to trace pictures of insects. He had a passion for living things. How did Mr. A learn how to become a fisherman? He learned by drawing pictures of fish and insects. He learned from families who were swept away by the tsunami. He learned from a fisherman who caught oysters and octopus. He learned by repairing an abandoned house.

What is one problem for Mr. A on the job? It is hard to understand the local dialect. It is hard to attract more people from other areas. There are too many fishermen. He doesn t have a lot of free time. How has Mr. A helped victims of the Kumamoto Earthquake that struck in April? He has finished work early in the morning. He has taken days off when there is a storm. He made an illustration for a charity. He wanted to paint the port red.