Did you know that just as mountains and plains have shapes, the ocean also has shapes?Everyone may think of a round sea or a square sea.However, this is not the only "shape" of the sea. The "bright" sea, the "warm" sea, the "dangerous" sea, the "deep" sea, the "distant" sea, the "battle" sea, etc.The sea, which is engraved in our minds as a mental landscape, has a variety of shapes.
For example, what is the shape of the sea that stretches between Awaji Island and Tokushima Prefecture?Scientifically speaking, this "shape" of the sea that allows us to clearly see the scenery on the other side with the naked eye may be a "close" and "narrow" sea.However, the sea of Naruto that is engraved in our hearts is also a ``powerful'' and ``scary'' sea, with its mammoth whirlpools caused by the ebb and flow of the tides.In the past, for people living on the opposite shore and fishermen, it may have felt like a ``distant'' sea that was difficult to cross.The expansive ocean and water space expands and contracts freely in the viewer's mind, depending on the viewer's feelings, shining blue or dulling gray, a flexible space that reflects our feelings. It is also a mirror of Yuzu Umuge's heart.
So, what do foreigners think when they see the same Seto Inland Sea?Chinese people may think of the beautiful archipelago as a miniature garden, and French people may think of it as a mysterious sea that reflects the exotic orient.How do we feel when we look at the various seas around the world, and what kind of aspirations and anxieties have we piled up over each era?While enjoying the “shapes” of the world’s oceans depicted in novels, poetry, paintings, movies, travel diaries, etc., learn about the extent of the ocean and human activities.I am conducting such research.It is also an exciting form of research that touches on the connection between humans and nature.
