“Sogarami” where six cormorant boats spread over the breadth of the Nagara River and fish Ayu by moving downriver in the same direction.
The Usho checks the cormorants every day by touching them, checks the conditions in the bird hut by the Usho’s house, and choses the cormorants for fishing on that day.
Cormorant boat with mast and sail
“Senji” (cooking tools for “Tomari Egai (a trip with cormorants to find fish for cormorants)”)
Overall drawing of “Cultural scenery of Gifu in the midstream of the Nagara River” [Night view]
(Prepared by the Cultural Landscape Section of the Nara National Research Institute for Cultural Properties)
Preparation for fishing by waterman
Gifu Castle Ruins (photo taken from above facing northwest)
Cormorant fishing with Mt. Kinka in the background
Gifu City important intangible folk cultural property
Stuff steamed rice in the cleaned stomach of an Ayu and pickle them in a tub.
Pickled Ayu-zushi on a tray.
Cormorant fishing observation boat under construction
Using an instrument, Moji, to widen nail holes.
Three watermen use poles to go upstream.
Watermen at bow and stem use oars to operate the boat near the “Goryoba.”
Many people enjoying the observation of cormorant fishing from houseboats
Entertainment on a boat
Ayu living in the Nagara River
Ayu caught by Goryo cormorant fishing
- Cultural Heritage Related to Cormorant Fishing outside Gifu City
- ・“Technique of Utori (catching cormorants)” (Hitachi City important intangible folk cultural property, designated on December 1, 1992)
- ・“Bamboo-work skills related to the manufacturing of tools for cormorant fishing” (Seki City important intangible folk cultural property, designated on June 10, 2010)
- ・“House of an Usho family”
(Seki City important cultural property, designated on June 6, 2006) - ・“Tools for cormorant fishing in Oze” (Seki City important tangible folk cultural property, designated on March 31, 2014)