The Nautical Fiction List: Page 11 of 15
Nicol, C. W.
Harpoon, 1987 (Japanese 19th century whaling epic as told from the point
of view of two brothers from a Japaneses whaling village -- one who
stays in the village pursuing traditional Japanese whaling practices,
the second who leave to learn how the Gaijin westerners whale. "Worth
reading." [ML])
This is the closest thing I've found to it.