Ukai Biraki (Opening of the Cormorant Fishing Season)

What Is Ukai Biraki?

Every year on May 11, "Ukai Biraki," the opening of the cormorant fishing season, takes place on the Nagara River in Gifu Prefecture. Gifu's Nagara River ukai is held every night from May 11 to October 15, except for the "ukai holiday" on the night of the harvest moon and times when the river is too high. The Oze Ukai in Seki City, Gifu, also opens on the same day. Under the light of bonfires reflected on the water, cormorant masters called "ushō" call out "hō, hō" as they guide their cormorants to catch ayu (sweetfish) -- a summer tradition in Gifu with over 1,300 years of history.

Nagara River Ukai, Loved by the Powerful

Cormorant fishing on the Nagara River has been enjoyed and protected by the leaders of each era.

• Over 1,300 years of history: A 702 family register from Mino Province, preserved in the Shōsōin repository, records the name "Ukaibe no Mezurame," which is cited as evidence of the tradition's more than 1,300-year history.
• Oda Nobunaga's hospitality: In 1568, Nobunaga invited an envoy of Takeda Shingen to watch cormorant fishing and personally chose ayu from the catch to send to Kōfu -- using ukai as a way to entertain guests.
• Tokugawa Ieyasu and ayu sushi: In 1615, Tokugawa Ieyasu and his son Hidetada are said to have watched ukai while stopping in Gifu on their way back from the Summer Siege of Osaka. That same year, offerings of ayu sushi to the shogun's family began, and the ushō were granted various privileges.
• Imperial Household Agency ushō: The Nagara River ushō hold the official title of cormorant masters of the Imperial Household Agency's Board of Ceremonies. In 1890, three areas of the Nagara River were designated imperial fishing grounds, and even today "Goryō Ukai" -- fishing to catch ayu for the Imperial Household -- is held eight times each season.

The Ushō's Skills and Their Bond with the Birds

Cormorant fishing depends on close teamwork between the ushō, the cormorants, and the boatmen.

• Kubiyui (neck tie): A hemp cord called a "kubiyui" is tied around the base of each cormorant's neck. Based on years of experience, the ushō adjusts it so that large fish stop at the neck while small fish can be swallowed by the bird. This is a key skill that affects the day's catch.
• Handling the tanawa: An ushō holds up to 12 "tanawa" -- the cords connecting him to his cormorants -- in his left hand. As the birds move, the cords tangle, so he repeatedly pulls them free with his right hand and returns them to his left.
• An Important Intangible Folk Cultural Property: In 2015, "the techniques of cormorant fishing on the Nagara River" were designated a national Important Intangible Folk Cultural Property -- the first such designation for a technique related to agriculture, forestry, or fisheries.

Fascinating Facts About Cormorant Fishing

• Cormorants are "family": Each ushō keeps more than 20 cormorants and knows each bird's personality and condition. The ushō describe their birds as "family" or "partners," and retired cormorants continue to live at the ushō's home.
• "Katarai" pairs: Ushō raise their cormorants in pairs called "katarai." Once paired, the birds are said to stop fighting and become easier to handle.
• Chaplin was a fan: Charlie Chaplin watched cormorant fishing on the Nagara River twice, in 1936 and 1961. He is said to have exclaimed "Wonderful!" again and again and called the ushō "artists."
• Bashō's famous haiku: Visiting Gifu in 1688, the poet Matsuo Bashō watched ukai and wrote, "Omoshirōte / yagate kanashiki / ubune kana" -- roughly, "Delightful, and then, how sad -- the cormorant boats."
• Offering the first ayu: The first ayu caught at Ukai Biraki are presented to the Imperial Household and offered at shrines such as Meiji Jingū, Kashihara Jingū, and shrines in Gifu City.

Tips for Ukai Biraki Day

• Watch videos or look at photos of cormorant fishing. The red bonfires, the dark river, and the silver ayu evoke the season even on screen.
• Watching the ushō, cormorants, and boatmen work in sync, think about how roles are shared when you work as a team.
• Enjoy early-summer flavors such as salt-grilled ayu and savor the start of the season.
• Reflect on Bashō's haiku and imagine the liveliness of a summer night on the river and the quiet that follows.

1,300 Years of People and Cormorants, Lit by Bonfires

May 11 is the day a long-standing partnership between people and cormorants begins again for the year. The ushō treasure their cormorants like family, reading each bird's personality and condition before heading out to fish. A relationship built on knowing and trusting one another has something to teach our workplaces and daily lives, too. Tonight, as the bonfires are lit on the Nagara River, why not take a moment to rethink how you work with the people around you?