Editing Sea of Japan (section)

==History==
For centuries, the sea had protected Japan from land invasions, particularly by the Mongols. It had long been navigated by Asian and, from the 18th century, by European ships. Russian expeditions of 1733–1743 mapped Sakhalin and the Japanese islands. In the 1780s, the Frenchman [[Jean-François de Galaup, comte de Lapérouse]], traveled northward across the sea through the [[La Pérouse Strait|strait later named after him]]. In 1796, a British naval officer, [[William Robert Broughton]], explored the Strait of Tartary, the eastern coast of the [[Russian Far East]] and the [[Korean Peninsula]].

In 1803–1806, the Russian navigator [[Adam Johann von Krusenstern]] while sailing across the globe in the ship ''Nadezhda'' also explored, in passing, the Sea of Japan and the eastern shores of Japanese [[islands]]. In 1849, another Russian explorer [[Gennady Nevelskoy]] discovered the strait between the continent and Sakhalin and mapped the northern part of the Strait of Tartary. Russian expeditions were made in 1853–1854 and 1886–1889 to measure the surface temperatures and record the tides. They also documented the cyclonal character of the sea currents.

Other notable expeditions of the 19th century include the [[United States|American]] [[North Pacific Exploring and Surveying Expedition]] (1853–1856) and [[United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland|British]] [[Challenger expedition]] (1872–1876). The aquatic life was described by V. K. Brazhnikov in 1899–1902 and P. Yu. Schmidt in 1903–1904. The Japanese scientific studies of the sea began only in 1915 and became systematic since the 1920s.<ref name=brit/><ref name=bse/>

[[United States|American]], [[Canada|Canadian]] and [[France|French]] [[whaler|whaleships]] cruised for whales in the sea between 1847 and 1892.<ref>''Athol'', of St. John, 8 June – 10 August 1847, NBW 1335; ''Vesper'', of New London, 20 April – 26 August 1848, G. W. Blunt White Library (GBWL); ''Northern Light'', of New Bedford, 14 May – 22 July 1875, Old Dartmouth Historical Society (ODHS); ''Cape Horn Pigeon'', of New Bedford, 17 April – 13 July 1892, Kendall Whaling Museum (KWM).</ref> Most entered the sea via [[Korea Strait]]<ref>''Splendid'', of Edgartown, 17 April 1848, Nicholson Whaling Collection (NWC); ''Fortune'', of New Bedford, 12 March 1849, ODHS; ''Sea Breeze'', of New Bedford, 14 April 1874, GWBL.</ref> and left via [[La Pérouse Strait]],<ref>''Bowditch'', of Warren, 2 August 1848, NWC; ''Arnolda'', of New Bedford, 17 June 1874, ODHS.</ref> but some entered and exited via [[Tsugaru Strait]].<ref>''Good Return'', of New Bedford, 30 April 1849, ODHS; ''Milo'', of New Bedford, 16–18 Apr. 1850, ODHS.</ref> They primarily targeted [[North Pacific right whale|right whales]],<ref>''Eliza Adams'', of Fairhaven, 21 April – 4 August 1848, ODHS; ''Huntress'', of New Bedford, 4 May – 3 July 1848, NWC.</ref> but began catching [[humpback whale|humpbacks]] as right whale catches declined.<ref>''Florida'', of Fairhaven, 12–27 May 1860, in ''One Whaling Family'' (Williams, 1964); ''Sea Breeze'', of New Bedford, 11–12 May, 4–5 June 1874, GWBL.</ref> They also made attempts to catch [[blue whale|blue]]<ref>''George Washington'', of Wareham, 16 May 1849, ODHS; ''Florida'', of Fairhaven, 5 May 1860, in ''One Whaling Family'' (Williams, 1964).</ref> and [[fin whale]]s,<ref>''Daniel Wood'', of New Bedford, 6 April 1854, NWC.</ref> but these species invariably sank after being killed. Right whales were caught from March to September,<ref>''Henry Kneeland'', of New Bedford, 1 September 1852, in ''Enoch's Voyage'' (1994), pp. 153–154.</ref> with peak catches in May and June.<ref>Catch of right whales by month based on over 510 whales caught during 71 vessel seasons from 1847 to 1891: June (31.7%), May (28.8%), July (19.9%), April (11.8%), and August (5.4%).</ref> During the peak years of 1848 and 1849 a total of over 170 vessels (over 60 in 1848, and over 110 in 1849) cruised in the Sea of Japan,<ref>Ships spoken in 1848 by ''Vesper'' (GBWL); ''Eliza Adams'' (ODHS); ''Splendid'' (NWC); ''Bowditch'' (NWC); ''Huntress'' (NWC); ''Liverpool 2nd'', of New Bedford (NWC); ''Cherokee'', of New Bedford (NWC); and ''Mechanic'', of Newport (NWC); ''Hannibal'', of Sag Harbor (EHL); ''Josephine'', of Sag Harbor (EHL); ''John Jay'', of Sag Harbor (NHA); in 1849 by ''Huntress'' (NWC); ''Good Return'' (ODHS); ''Fortune'' (ODHS); ''Ocmulgee'', of Holmes Hole (ODHS); ''Mary and Susan'' (NWC); ''Maria Theresa'', of New Bedford (ODHS); ''George Washington'' (ODHS); ''Liverpool 2nd'' (NWC); ''Julian'', of New Bedford (NWC); ''Henry Kneeland'', of New Bedford (ODHS), ''Montpelier'', of New Bedford (NWC), ''Cambria'', of New Bedford (NWC), ''India'', of New Bedford (ODHS), and ''Phoenix'', of New Bedford (NHA); ''N. P. Tallmadge'', ''Pioneer'', and ''Superior'', of New London (GBWL), ''Alpha'', of Nantucket (NHA), and ''Prudent'', of Stonington (GBWL).</ref> with significantly lesser numbers in following years.<ref>Ships spoken in 1856 by ''Pacific'', of Fairhaven (NWC), and ''Onward'', of New Bedford (NWC); and from 1859 to 1861 by ''Florida'', of Fairhaven, in ''One Whaling Family'' (Williams, 1964).</ref>