Here we see the older Japanese who brought their fishing skills to Hawaii to teach and share with our Hawaiian host culture. It was a mutual collaboration of sharing skills, knowledge, and the island ways.

      In Hawaii, we are a multi-cultural people. The tuna fishermen were Japanese who caught bait, nehu, and halulu with their handmade fishing nets in the reef's shallow waters. The Japanese brought those colorful glass balls that were attached to the nets that kept the nets floating.  Young Hawaiians were eager to learn the trade of catching the tuna (aku) in the deep waters. Together with the bait cooled tanks, they set out beyond the reef. Watching the sky, they saw birds that circled and indicated where the tuna swam. They then used their bamboo poles to hook the amazing fish.

The artist painted these pristine watercolors, capturing the deep azure blues and golds of the pre-dawn morning hours. This was a way of life for these fishermen. Every day they woke to fish the bounty of these Hawaiian waters.