Comments From a Reader

I met Mr. Kiyo Shirado when he was visiting his hometown of Iejima.  He now lives in Seattle.  After reading my blog entry on the tankobune (boats made from American Air Force drop tanks, see my earlier blog posting entitled Tankobune) he wrote me the following, with photos:


Hi Douglas
Thank you for your E-mail, as you know I commented on your blog about fishing with a tank guni (boat). Here are several pictures attached  from when I was in IE-JIMA at the end of Novmber to December.  My brother usually keeps a tankobune at shube beach but relocated to Ishayara.  I remember I was 12 years old when I started fishing with my father in Tankoguni (same size as the ones showing in your blog pictures).  Right before the sunset we would carry nylon net sets from the beach to the reef overnight then early next morning (before I would go to school) pick up the net.  Back then there were a lot of fish. My mom would give them away to neighbors or go house to house to sell fish.

Douglas,  I have a lot of interesting stories about wooden boats and IE-JIMA CHU(people) who moved overseas.

kiyo