European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - March 20, 1948, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Matsushima diving girls photographs by Horace Bristol they Harvest a variety of seaweed indispensable to biological research in the shallow Waters off a Small Island lying six Miles from Tokyo Bay Mong the highest paid hardest working japanese v career girls is a select company of divers known As amass. Their business is to Harvest the red algae seaweed found in japanese coastal Waters. The great demand Tor. This product which is used in laboratories As an Agar Agar medium for the cultivation of bacteria and fungi nets them a daily wage equal to a japanese office worker s weekly earnings. The Job however is a seasonal one it lasts Only through the six warmest months of the year. Work place for the amass is the Island of Hatsu Shima not More than ten minutes flying time from Tokyo. Matsushima itself is a speck in the Pacific Ocean con sisting of five Hundred acres in area. It is inhabited by forty one families the same number that originally occupied the Island six Hundred years ago. Down through the centuries it was found the Small area of mostly in tillable land could support Only a population of a few Hundred. Except for a Brief period in the Middle of the nineteenth Century when the addition of four More families was tried temporarily unbalancing the Economy the Rule of forty one has been strictly maintained. The unjvj"1pjv la of Ace Tzai hats Shiman have developed a managerial society and ing it More profitable to lease the fishing grounds sur rounding the Island than fish themselves. They also Preter to manage the seaweed collecting and hire the girls from the Mainland farming districts for the arduous diving work. All hats Shiman refer to themselves As employers and Only apologetically admit to farming or packing sea Weed. As such they have never deemed it proper to mix with the diving girls nor has there Ever been a Case of intermarriage reported. ,. The amass live in separate quarters Dunn the work season on a Side of the Island away from the settlers. When diving operations commence in the Spring the girls stick close to the shallow Waters but As their lung capacity develops they work farther offshore going Down As deep As forty feet and sometimes staying below for Over a minute in their quest for red algae. At the end it the season they return to their Homes where largely be cause of their financial status they  As excellent matrimonial catches by the less class conscious Farmers of the Mainland. Its a i. .-.-iai3 a i ii imm off the Shore of Hattush Maisland div  Girj i a a y Amah diving equipment is scant underwater mask Finger protectors Straw rope for pulling up seaweed Boatmen operate crude Windlass to lower and raise weighted buckets used by the amass in deep diving. Wooden rest float and fish net used by diver finifter work gathering the seaweed is hauled aboard by  meal week Enid March 20, 1��l7  it if Sia