the old fisherman and his bird: cormorant fishing in japan

8/12/2019 THE OLD FISHERMAN AND HIS BIRD: CORMORANT FISHING IN JAPAN

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TRAVEL

THE OLD FISHERMAN AND HIS BIRD: CORMORANT FISHING IN JAPANBy MASHA VAN DER HEIJDE

The crow that mimics a cormorant is drowned.

Japanese proverb

Whenever the ships propeller hits the rocks onthe bottom of the river, the shipper smiles a big

smile. Baring a big row of uneven teeth he shouts

Okay, okay! to comfort us back in the boat. Due

to the lack of rainfall this year the water level of

the Nagara river is stunningly low, but this does

not spoil the fun. For I am here to experience an

ancient Japanese tradition given over from father

to son for 1300 years, a tradition that might not

last much longer. Whereas in the old days thereused to be 21 Masters, nowadays there are only

six left. Pondering over this while admiring the

white walls of Gifu castle that are high up on

green Mount Kinka and shimmering in the river, I

am shocked back into reality when the boat

comes to an abrupt stop and we have joined five

other boats filled with Japanese tourists in light

cotton kimono.

With a big hammer our shipper jumps onto the

rocky beach to beat the propeller back into shape.

In the mean time his colleague takes out

lacquered boxes filled with a wide variety of food

displayed in such an artistic way it is almost a pity

to eat. Then suddenly, halfway through the meal,

the shipper whispers to us Fishing Master. We

scan the river and indeed a low boat is arriving.


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On it is an old man with a long grey goatee

wearing a straw skirt and a solemn expression on

his face as if about to perform a temple ceremony.

Big holed baskets through which keen little eyes

peep out fill the boat. These are the cormorants.

From the corner of my eye I see how all other

tourist boats meet their own Fishing Masters. Our

Master doesnt stay long. Giving a shortdemonstration how cormorants can hold up to six

fishes in their mouth - and how these can be

pulled out again - he then leaves again. His boat

moving swiftly through the water until out of sight.

Soon after another small boat approaches with

on it an elderly couple selling all kinds of

fireworks. On a neighboring boat a smiling

Japanese man buys handfuls, rushes to the frontand sends rainbows of colors into the darkening

sky while on another boat a couple with a little girl

shoot their lights towards Gifu castle.

Slowly darkness wraps around us all. Only the lit

paper lanterns are visible on the silent river as we

are all waiting for the Master. All of a sudden a

boy on a neighboring boat breaks the silence witha cheer, points towards a fast approaching fire

and as the fire comes closer the cormorant

fishing boat comes into sight. With an incredible

speed it rushes past, the big fire in front of the

boat attracting fish, and the first tourist boat in line

follows.

All six cormorant boats come speeding by, each

one followed by a tourist boat and with the last

fishing boat it has finally become our time to

follow and watch the spectacle. Our Master is

holding 12 ropes at the same time. On each one

is a Cormorant diving in and out of the water as if

it has become a little shiny fish itself. From time totime the Master pulls a cormorant onboard,

collects the fish, than puts the bird back into the

water. From the shores young lovers and families

are watching and some shoot firework into the air,

lightning up the water and coloring the black

cormorants into mysterious shades of red, blue

and green.

As a final show, the cormorant fishing boats leave

us tourists behind to speed side by side along the

dark river. While the fires reflect six long lights on

the black water, seventy-two glittering

Cormorants dive in and out of the water catching

all the fish they can. And for a moment, watching

the boats with their fires, the mediaeval looking

Masters, Mt. Kinka in the background, all tourists

boats with lit lanterns and Japanese in their lightsummer kimonos, I felt pulled back into another,

older Japan.

Getting There: From Tokyo Station take a

Tokaido Shinkansen train to Nagoya, and then

change to a Tokaido Line local train to Gifu (2 1/4

hours total). From Gifu Station, take the bus

bound for Nagarabashi (bridge) and get off at


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Nagarabashi bus stop. It is a 1-minute walk to the

boat office. Cormorant Fishing is every year from

May 11 to October 15. For reservations: Gifu City

Cormorant Fishing Sightseeing Office,

058-262-0104 (reservations are required).

the old fisherman and his bird: cormorant fishing in japan

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