The cormorant fishing techniques of Nagaragawa cormorant fishing in Gifu Prefecture are registered as an Important Intangible Folk Cultural Property of Japan and are protected as a cultural heritage of which Gifu Prefecture is proud. In addition, the environment and techniques surrounding Nagaragawa cormorant fishing, such as "Gifu's cultural landscape in the midstream of the Nagaragawa River," "cormorant fishing equipment," "cormorant fishermen's attire," "shipbuilding techniques for cormorant fishing viewing boats," and "observation boat piloting techniques," are also registered as cultural properties. The Nagaragawa Cormorant Fishing Museum was established in Gifu City with the aim of contributing to the inheritance of this culture and the revival of tourism. With the theme of "communicating, spreading, and protecting," the museum hosts ingenious exhibitions and events.

This time, we visited the cormorant fishing village accompanied by the Nagaragawa Ukai Museum, which brings people closer to cormorant fishing on the Nagaragawa River, on a special "backstage tour" that is only possible outside the Nagaragawa River cormorant fishing season, allowing us to see the lives of the cormorant fishermen and cormorants, see the cormorant boats being made, and hear their real stories.

Supporting cormorant fishing on the Nagara River. Cormorant boats filled with ingredients and passion from Gifu

In Nagara River cormorant fishing, cormorant fishermen and boatmen skillfully manipulate the cormorants and boats to fish. The boats that support the passengers are called "Ubune." "One cormorant boat is made every year during the off-season of Nagara River cormorant fishing.

The cormorant boat is about 13m long and 1m wide, and is designed specifically for cormorant fishing. It carries three people and their luggage. Two people sit on the right and one on the left. It can easily flip over with just a gust of wind, so the three people need to work together to control the center of gravity," explains Imai, an active cormorant boatman and apprentice shipwright. Currently, there is only one shipwright who can make cormorant boats. In order to pass on the shipbuilding techniques that support cormorant fishing, the three cormorant boatmen are undergoing training as apprentice shipwrights.

"The cormorant boats are made from Japanese knotty wood from Gifu. Cormorant fishermen fish in shallow waters to catch ayu sweetfish. The bottom of the boat, which is likely to hit the riverbed, is made from a strong part with many knots. The sides, called the belly, are made from clean material with few knots. The cormorant boats are about 13m long and are made by combining three pieces of material that are 4 to 6m long. The materials are assembled by stacking them from the bottom up. If the seams of the material on top and the layer below are aligned, it will be weak, and if there are knots at the ends it will also be weak. You need to pay attention to the length and knots, and decide which materials to use where before proceeding. Each completed cormorant boat has its own quirks," said Imai, gazing at the unique wood.

The life of cormorant fishermen and cormorants. More than just family

The cormorants used in cormorant fishing are originally wild sea cormorants. Because they have difficulty adapting to life with humans after living in the wild for a long time, cormorants that are 1-2 years old are trained to live with people and older cormorants at the fisherman's house for 2-3 years. As they are timid creatures, they spend their time quietly at the fisherman's house, which is located on a quiet back street where no people come and go. Mr. Sugiyama, the fisherman's house "Maruwa", lives with 23 cormorants.

"We've been living together for so long that we can tell each one apart. They all have different personalities and faces. Some are shy, while others have a bad temper. Even in cormorant fishing, each cormorant wants to go forward or backward, and they move according to their personality and their mood at the time. When the river is muddy, they can't reach the bonfire and sometimes they don't want to dive. Their movements change every day depending on their physical condition and the conditions of the river. We don't control the cormorants in cormorant fishing. We make them feel motivated so that they can catch fish comfortably. That's why it's important to look after their health every day. We take them to the vet regularly. They get vaccinated twice a day, before and after the cormorant fishing season to prevent infectious diseases, and we also have blood tests. Cormorants are examined more regularly than people," says Sugiyama with a laugh.

"The cormorants are looked after by the members of the household. Even cormorant fishermen cannot handle the cormorants of other fishermen's households. Our lives revolve around cormorants, and they are a part of our lives. As written, 'cormorant fishing' is expressed in kanji characters that mean living with cormorants," said fisherman Sugiyama, gazing straight at the cormorant. Cormorant fishermen and cormorants build a relationship of trust by living together on a daily basis. It is because of this relationship of trust that they can carry out cormorant fishing in perfect harmony.

The town speaks. The footsteps it has walked alongside cormorant fishing

Cormorant Fishing Village is home to six cormorant fishermen's houses and facilities related to cormorant fishing. Just walking around here, you can feel the presence of cormorant fishing. As you walk, you will see houses and warehouses piled with firewood. This firewood is for use in the bonfires of cormorant fishing. At the back of the approach, where the faint scent of wood being cut gives off, you can catch a glimpse of the shipwrights building the cormorant boats and the wood that will be used as material. After passing through the cormorant fisherman's house with its straw raincoat hanging, you will see the Nagara River, where cormorant fishing takes place. If you look down at your feet, you will also be reminded of cormorant fishing in the manhole covers.

As you walk along the Nagaragawa River, you can see cormorant boats being prepared for this season's cormorant fishing. In early spring, you can feel even more strongly that the town is working towards cormorant fishing starting in May. "On the opposite bank from the Nagaragawa Ukai Museum you can see Gokoku Shrine. It is said that the year the cherry blossoms at Gokoku Shrine are in full bloom will bring a good catch, and the cormorant fishing cherry blossoms are said to predict the year's cormorant fishing." Mr. Kawai, a curator at the Nagaragawa Ukai Museum, smiled with the cherry blossoms in full bloom in the background.

This was the second year that the Nagaragawa Ukai Museum held a backstage tour, and there was more to it than just watching the cormorant fishing.

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Nagaragawa Ukai Museum

電話：058-210-1555

Address: 51-2 Nagara, Gifu City, Gifu Prefecture, 502-0071

Access: Get off at JR "Gifu Station" Get off at Gifu Bus "Ukai-ya" 5 minutes walk

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