Last Sunday, I had the chance to experience something truly unique— Daytime Cormorant Fishing, or ukai , in the Kiso River at Inuyama, Aichi Prefecture with my daughter and a good friend who visited us after his MSF mission in Pakistan. The Kiso River has been home to traditional cormorant fishing for 1300 years and it is overlooked by a national treasure, the Inuyama castle, rising above the river banks. The day was filled with joy, relaxation, and a bit of history. For this article, I would like to share about the cormorant fishing in Inuyama and hope to inspire you to come and experience it. What Is Cormorant Fishing? Cormorant fishing, known as ukai (鵜飼) in Japan, is a traditional fishing technique that has been practiced for over 1,300 years. It’s a fascinating way for humans and birds to team up to catch fish, especially sweetfish, called ayu . In this fishing method, The senior fisherman or the cormorant master, known as the ushō (鵜匠), uses trained cormorants, a type of bird, ...
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