Ukai in Gifu has a 1,000 year history, and the techniques are kept much the same as they were back in the day. It takes place at night in the summer and early fall. Lit only by balls of burning pine and sap, two fishermen steer the boat and handle trained cormorants as the birds chase after Ayu, a small sweet fish. The cormorants wear a leash around their necks that allows them to swallow small fish, but not large ones--the fisherman then takes the fish from the cormorant's mouth and tosses it back into the water. It sounds awful for the cormorants, but they're taken care of and live much longer than their wild brethren.
The first catch of the season goes to the Emperor Akihito and his family. The fishermen are living national treasures, their instruments (including the birds!) are national artifacts, and the river is a protected site.
And now, the awesome: video of the ukai!
Erin and I were the only foreigners on our observation boat. Our shipmates were super nice and wanted to know everything we thought of it.
OK this is just exceptionally cool. Those birds are smart and FAST. I am so glad these amazing teams are so well respected. I am sure this craft involves a lot of time and patience in the training. Hooray for ukai!
ReplyDeleteLove Mom