Fish skin, a material once used for clothing and shoes by the Ainu people, and even for long swords in the Nara period, is now experiencing a renaissance after largely falling out of use in modern times. This is the story of a young man, captivated by fish since childhood, who is pioneering contemporary fish leather through self-study. We explore this new trend emerging from Japan's top producer of farmed silver salmon.
Yusuke Ota
Born in 1997, from Sendai, Miyagi Prefecture. Started fishing at age 3. After graduating from university, he embarked on a bicycle journey, living off the fish he caught, before moving to Hokkaido. At an Ainu museum, he learned about products made from salmon skin leather and became convinced of the potential of fish skin. He launched the fish leather brand "Dear Fish" with the goal of "creating something more accessible that utilizes the natural beauty of fish skin." Currently, as a member of the Onagawa Town Community Revitalization Team, in the town that first successfully farmed silver salmon in Japan and is now the top producer of farmed silver salmon, he is active in organizing events to enjoy fishing culture and is also an accomplished angler.
(*Article content is based on information at the time of the interview)
A quarter-century after a shocking fishing experience in childhood, his unending passion for fish takes shape.
A fish leather artisan born in Japan's top farmed silver salmon town
──Mr. Ota, you are active as a fish leather artisan in Onagawa Town, Miyagi Prefecture, Japan's top producer of farmed silver salmon, and also as a member of the Community Revitalization Team, involved in improving fishing environments and developing fishing-related tourism content.
You mentioned that you had lived a fishing-centric life before this, and that you've loved fishing since you were a child.
When I was three, my parents took me fishing, the kind where you cast and wait. Then, at age four, when I caught my first flounder, about 30cm long, I was almost dragged into the sea. That's when I truly felt the incredible power of fish!
──You were instantly captivated. You've been fishing for over 20 years and have had various fishing experiences, but has that feeling remained unchanged?
You can face a wild creature with just a single line. In a sense, I think it's an equal relationship, and there aren't many other experiences like it besides fishing.
──It's clear how fascinated you are by fishing.
It's incredibly fun. I'm 28 now, but I've been hooked since that shocking experience when I was a child.
──First, please tell us about "Dear Fish," the fish leather brand you're working on.
It's a fish leather brand that transforms fish skin into leather, delivering the beauty of fish and a lifestyle closer to them. We primarily use the skin of silver salmon caught by Onagawa fishermen in local waters. When silver salmon are processed for food, some of their removed skin is used as feed for farmed fish, but the rest is often discarded. We buy that skin as a new utilization method, turn it into leather, and then make products from it.
──Is this leather you're showing me now made from silver salmon skin?
Yes, this is from half a fish.
Its characteristic features are the fine scales unique to silver salmon, and this part called the "lateral line" is one of the major characteristics unique to fish skin.
It's a sensory organ unique to fish, where they acutely sense water currents to catch prey or detect natural disasters. I think one of the great things about fish leather is its ability to showcase such a unique sensory organ of fish, so I want to create things that clearly display the lateral line.
Except for the tail section, the hardness is relatively uniform with good tension, and it has elasticity that allows it to be bent, making it easy to use.
──I imagined fish would have a distinct smell, but it doesn't smell at all.
I often get asked about the smell. It's not completely odorless, but it only smells faintly of vegetable-tanned leather.
──What does the backside of the skin look like?
The back side is called the "flesh side," and it has a slightly fuzzy texture due to the unique fibers of the fish.
Compared to ordinary leather, it might be slightly more difficult to work with, but I value that as one of the ways to appreciate the uniqueness of fish leather.
Pushing boundaries. Fish leather techniques refined through self-study.
Handcrafting each leather item from self-tanned fish skin
──Could you please tell us specifically how you turn the peeled skin into leather?
Once I purchase the skin from a food processing company, it takes about a month and a half to tan it. I clean it by removing any remaining broth or flesh, then soak it in vegetable tannins, stretch it, and dry it repeatedly. This turns it pure white, and finally, I dye it to make it leather.
──Could you tell me what kind of products you make from this leather?
Card cases, keychains, educational toys, and so on.
After punching holes in the leather with a hammer, I hand-sew along the holes. The appearance of the stitching changes greatly depending on how the thread and needle are inserted, so it's a thoughtful process. This thread is made of hemp, and it's pre-twisted with wax, making it stiff and strong.
──How did you learn the techniques and knowledge for leather? Since I heard that fish skin is rarely used now, I imagine learning opportunities are quite limited.
I've done everything through trial and error, all by myself.
──So you haven't been taught even the basic ways to handle leather by anyone!?
I probably should have learned those theories, but I thought that if I knew them from the beginning, it might create fixed ideas, so I decided to try it on my own first. I believe it's necessary to try to develop my abilities to the maximum extent first, and then when I reach my limit, that's when I should seek out instruction.
──It's amazing that you've been able to tan leather and create products all through self-study.
That's exactly how it was with fishing. It was all self-taught.
──I see.
I believe that the field itself provides the most information about fish, so I prioritize being present in the field above all else. In fact, by continuing to trust that rivers and oceans constantly provide information, I have experienced that the probability of encountering fish steadily increases.
──So fishing and leather making are the same.
Inspired by the Ainu people, I want to bring fish leather to the modern world.
In the midst of growth as an artisan, aiming to express fish leather in a way that suits the times
──I understand your strong passion for fish leather, Mr. Ota, but how did your love for fishing lead to the creation of fish leather in the first place?
I lived in Hokkaido for about three years, and during that time, I learned that the Ainu people used various natural materials to make clothes and shoes. I think the biggest impact was my surprise at how much fish skin could be utilized!
I also knew from various archives and museums on Honshu that fish skin was tanned and used as leather, so I started thinking about how I wanted to present it as a new form of leather in modern times.
──If the Ainu people also used it, fish leather must have quite a long history.
Exactly when it began to be used is not clearly stated in museum records, so it's unknown. However, I believe the culture was passed down when they migrated to Hokkaido from the Russian continent, before they became known as the Ainu people. Materials from about 500 years ago are still preserved without weathering.
──That long ago.
Salmon is called "Kamuy Cikap" (God's fish) in the Ainu language. As a being that brings resources from the sea, they utilized all parts of it, including the skin, without waste, not just for food. Salmon skin is quite thick and resistant to water, so it must have been an easy material to use. And by wearing such a special existence, the "God's fish," I feel that the Ainu philosophy was embodied.
──What kind of philosophy is the Ainu philosophy?
It's a strength of feeling that's completely different from my own level... Considering their historical background, culture, and their attitudes and philosophies, I think there was a deeper and greater connection with salmon than just the beautiful aspects we can learn from museums today.
──Considering the hide, especially from the Hokkaido region, it seems the Ainu people would have utilized the hides of bears and deer as well, not just salmon.
I've actually used bear, deer, cow, and fish hides, and their properties are completely different in terms of thickness, hardness, and strength. I believe these differences in hide directly influenced comfort when wearing or using them.
For example, deer hide is very soft, and its fibers are intertwined like wool in a mesh pattern, providing a kind of insulation. Fish, on the other hand, have straight, evenly latticed fibers. Among fish with high oil content in their skin, salmon, in particular, has a lot of subcutaneous fat, so perhaps this fat regulates osmotic pressure and other factors.
──You were inspired by Ainu culture and started working with fish leather. Is your intention different from trying to inherit or preserve Ainu culture?
In terms of wanting to express it in a way that is easily understandable to everyone in this modern age, I think it can be said to be a new form, different from the leather products made by the Ainu people.
Regarding how the properties differ and how they will be used, I am still in the process of growing as an artisan, so I want to carefully assess these aspects as I develop and become someone who can convey the appeal of fish skin better than anyone else.
──Mr. Ota's unwavering passion for fish immediately drew me into the world of fish leather. I learned about the rich expressions of scales and lateral lines, which are completely different from terrestrial animals, deepening my interest. The conversation then shifted to the environmental issues surrounding fish, which Mr. Ota perceives due to his many years of involvement with them. We gained insight into the realistic state of fish, which is difficult to learn about in everyday life.
