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Cormorant Fishing in Inuyama (Aichi). Click to enlarge image.

Ukai, or cormorant fishing, is pure magic. A traditional method of river fishing that has been practiced in Japan for some 1300 years, it involves fishermen using cormorant birds on leashes to catch sweetfish such as Ayu. Nowadays, there are only a few people authorized to perform ukai, and it is protected under the jurisdiction of the Imperial Household Agency. Positions are usually inherited and passed on within each family. There are only a handful of places where you can watch Ukai, and one of the best is on the Kisogawa in Inuyama - just upstream from Inuyama castle.

Ukai fishing requires a team, usually comprised of 3 members, in a small flat bottomed boat called Ubune. The boats designed to be able to navigate the shallow waters of the rivers where the fish are easier to catch. Each boat is paddled out onto the river after dark upstream of the fishing area. As they begin their fishing run, the fishermen attract the fish by lighting bright burning fires in the metal baskets suspended from the front of their boat. The light is supplemented by either the sound of a drum or the beating of an oar against the side of the boat.

The cormorants are then sent out into the water to catch the fish. Each bird is on a leash, and it requires particular skill by the Usho to prevent the leashes from becoming entangled as the birds dive repeatedly for their catch. The leash is attached to a small metal ring that is attached around the base of the cormorant's neck. Every time a cormorant manages to catch a fish, the Usho pulls them back into the boat and forces them to disgorge the fish. Why don't the cormorants just eat the fish, you ask? Because the metal ring around the base of the cormorants neck is just large enough to let extremely small fish through, but too small to let a bird swallow any fish of the size that fishermen, tourists and imperial family members are hoping to sink their teeth into.

The fishermen still wear the same traditional clothing as that which was worn by their ancestors - a straw skirt that repels water, a dark cotton kimono and the kazaorieboshi - the black linen cloth that is wrapped around the head to fend off sparks. Watching ukai is to become immersed in one of Japan's oldest traditions.

Inuyama is pretty close to Okazaki, by train it is 1 hour 16 minutes (fare is 1190 yen one way) from JR Okazaki. The famous Inuyama castle is only about 700 meters from the boat boarding site and is worth a visit as it is one of only 4 castles in Japan that are listed as national treasures, and is both the oldest extant Japanese castle as well as being the only one still held in private ownership (by the same family who ruled as lords during the Edo period). Also worth a visit is the beautiful Japanese garden called Urakuen - designed and built by Oda Uraku, the brother of Oda Nobunaga - which contains the historic Joan tea house, also a national treasure. All these sites can be seen on a Friday afternoon after class, though you will need a booking for the boat. If travelling on a weekend, you may also want to visit the superb Aerospace Museum at Kakamigahara, which is Japan's oldest airfield and the host of the annual airshow.

In summer it is wise to book very early for Fridays and Saturdays. You can either arrange a private excursion or join a Discovery Program that will include the Ukai (as well as Kakamigahara, the various Inuyama attractions and Tagata Jinja as well) For more information please read the Discovery Program files.

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If any of the information in this file is unclear, or if you need more detailed information, please click here and read the study/applications section of the FAQ before contacting us. Best regards, Declan Murphy.

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