Cormorant fishing is a traditional fishing method practiced mainly in China and Japan, characterized by the use of birds called cormorants to catch sweetfish, etc. Four species of cormorants live in Japan: the sea cormorant, the river cormorant, the Hime cormorant, and the Chishima cormorant. The Gifu Nagara River Cormorants are large, strong cormorants. A string is wrapped around the bird's neck, preventing it from swallowing any fish it might catch so that the fishermen may claim the catch for themselves.

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Historical figures who were avid fans of Nagara River cormorant fishing include warlord Oda Nobunaga, the great master of haiku, Matsuo Basho, and Charlie Chaplin. In 1878, Iwakura Tomomi and others took the opportunity to present ayu fish to the Emperor, and in 1890 three locations along the Nagara River were designated as hunting grounds, with general fishing prohibited year-round, and cormorant fishing made part of the main hunting lodge of the Imperial Household Ministry, thus cormorant fishermen attained the status of national civil servant.

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Although you can view cormorant fishing freely from the riverbank, we recommend boarding a yakatabune (Japanese-style cruising boat) for an up-close view of the cormorants as they catch fish and to better observe the skills of the cormorant masters. There are about 45 yakatabune in the fleet with capacities varying from 15 to 50 passengers, and these can be chartered or shared.

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