Minamata disease was officially identified in Japan in 1956 after mercury pollution from industrial wastewater poisoned fish and shellfish. People who relied on Minamata Bay suffered severe neurological illness and death. The event became a landmark in environmental health and corporate responsibility.

Minamata inspired photography, testimony, film, and Japanese environmental writing that gave voice to poisoned waters and marginalised fishing communities. For poets, it made the sea not only a symbol of beauty and tradition but also a carrier of hidden industrial harm.