GIFU, Japan – The 1,300-year-old “ukai” cormorant fishing tradition returned to the Nagara River in central Japan’s Gifu on Monday, as master fishermen clad in traditional garb deftly worked hand ropes to steer their trained birds under torchlight, drawing cheers from a spellbound crowd at the season’s start.
This year, Gifu is debuting a charter-only luxury viewing boat designed by Eiji Mitooka — the creative force behind JR Kyushu’s celebrated Seven Stars in Kyushu sleeper train — with service set to launch around summer at 400,000 yen ($2,500) per charter, plus meals.
The city, which aims to win UNESCO intangible cultural heritage status for the tradition, hopes to attract wealthy domestic and international visitors with the new boat. Ukai fishing will be held nightly through Oct. 15, except during high water.
In ukai, master fishermen known as “usho” guide a dozen or so cormorants from long wooden boats, their blazing bow torches luring ayu sweetfish to the surface. The birds swim alongside and dive underwater to capture fish, holding them in their pouch-like gullets.
A precisely tied rope around each bird’s neck lets them swallow smaller catches while preventing them from ingesting the prized bigger ones.
Takaaki Ishimura, a 78-year-old who visited from Yokohama with his wife, said, “I’m glad I could see the tradition with my own eyes.”
AloJapan.com