Takeshima Travel Diary (4) (San'in Shimbun)

When we went to a place where sea lions actually exist and saw them there, they were somewhat different from the stories I had heard. Things should always be seen with my own eyes. Sea lions have to be caught in caves. They make their colonies in caves where they can pass through from one end to the other. So a net is spread over one end of the cave and a watch is set at the other end to stop them from escaping. Before long, the net was in place and our preparation was sufficient. Our large sculling boat had now arrived at the shore, whereupon they all scrambled hurriedly over the rocks and one by one were caught in the net. The width of the net should apparently be around 4 shaku (about 1.2m), the length as appropriate, and the mesh size 7 or 8 sun (about 24cm). Sea lions really are stupid. As they attempt to dive out of the cave into the water, they stick their heads into the net. As long as one is careful enough, it should be possible to catch them so well that not one remains.