Masterful Japanese Cormorant Fishing Technique

Fishermen use ropes to tie the necks of individual cormorants to prevent them from eating the caught fish.

Masterful Japanese Cormorant Fishing Technique

In the nocturnal backdrop of Gifu City, Japan, several men sit by the Nagara River with cormorants. Amid flickering flames, they appear as if from a different era in traditional attire, hands manipulating the bird puppets. They are preparing for the ukai ritual – the art of nighttime fishing with cormorants.

Although not the most efficient, ukai remains the most artistic form of fishing, once prevalent across villages along the Nagara, Hozu, and Uji rivers. This profession has existed for about 1,300 years. Legend has it that the warlord Oda Nobunaga during the Warring States period patronized fishermen, granting them official titles and the usho designation, signifying experts in cormorant fishing.

At the age of 46, Shuji Sugiyama is the youngest usho in the Gifu region. He sits quietly on a rock by the dark Nagara River at night, paying no heed to the chatter of his companions.

Centuries ago, the art of ukai thrived. However, since the granting of licenses to cormorant fishing experts by the royal family in 1890, this tradition has slowly faded as usho are only licensed if they have ancestral ties to a previous master. Today, there are very few usho across Japan, with only 9 individuals holding royal licenses – including Sugiyama.

“It's because of the bond between us, the men and the cormorants, that we can fish together. For example, I would never go fishing with cormorants owned by another usho,” he says while inspecting the throats of the birds, preparing for the night's fishing expedition.

Sugiyama inherited the profession from his father, and he fished until receiving his official license in 2002. His family has been in this trade for generations.

The fishing season runs from May to October, but fishermen must care for the cormorants year-round until they pass away. Every autumn, as the cormorant flocks migrate through Ibaraki Prefecture north of Tokyo, fishermen catch and train them for about three years. “I usually catch around 10 birds and integrate them into the flock, so they mimic the older ones and learn how to fish,” Sugiyama says.

A night fishing expedition begins after the sun sets. Usho will lead the flock of birds through alleyways to the riverbank. They wear traditional attire consisting of dark blue shirts, woven hats to shield them from flying embers from the Kagari-bi fishing lanterns, long straw skirts to block water and cold mist, slip-resistant sandals with trimmed soles to prevent slipping. The usho will draw lots to determine the order of boats entering the section of the river with fish.

The cormorant flock is tethered together with ropes, with each bird's neck bound to prevent them from consuming larger fish. The loops are just wide enough for the birds to eat smaller fish and are completely removed at the end of the night's fishing expedition. Cormorants possess excellent fishing capabilities, swiftly dispatching their prey with sharp dagger-like beaks.

When a cormorant catches prey and surfaces, the usho retrieves the fish from its throat and releases it back into the river to continue hunting. At the peak of the So-garami (Last Chase) fishing, boats will corral the ayu fish to shallow waters. This is when the river echoes with bird calls, fishermen shout, and the rhythmic sound of paddles hitting boat sides fills the air.

By the end of the ayu fishing season, Sugiyama can relax a bit, but he doesn't expect to retire early. “I have a son still in elementary school. I feel he's starting to take an interest in my work. The little guy sees me with the cormorants every day, hoping one day he'll follow in my footsteps,” Sugiyama recounts.

The fish caught by cormorants are nearly impossible to sell. Usho mainly rely on subsidies from local governments, turning this profession into an art form that attracts tourists. They hope one day ukai will be listed as a UNESCO World Heritage.

“Cormorant fishing is the biggest tourist draw we have in Gifu City, with over 100,000 people coming here annually to witness it, and the numbers are rising,” says Kazuhiro Tada, the city's tourism chief.

Japan recognizes the 122-piece set of cormorant fishing equipment as an important intangible cultural heritage, while ukai art is considered an important intangible cultural asset of Gifu Prefecture. The “ho-ho” calls of usho to stimulate the cormorants and the sound of paddles hitting boat sides are also listed among the top 100 wonderful sounds in the Land of the Rising Sun.

Currently, tourists can enjoy ukai boat tours in Gifu from May 11th to October 15th every year, excluding Mid-Autumn Festival and days when the river water level is too high. Tickets cost 3,400 yen (over 700,000 dong) for adults, half for children. Ukai tours have scheduled times at 6:15 PM on weekdays, 6:45 PM on regular days, and 7:15 PM on weekends or holidays.

Ukai isn't limited to Japan alone; this traditional fishing art also persists in China among fishermen along the Yangtze River.

According to Pham Huyen/ Vnexpress

Reference: Mytour Travel Guide