A new cormorant fishing boat, measuring approximately 13 meters in length, was launched in a ceremony ahead of next month’s opening of the Nagara River cormorant fishing season in Gifu City.

To cultivate successors for the boatbuilders who construct these vessels, a master boatbuilder and three apprentices have been building one boat each year for the past five years.

During the launch ceremony on the 19th, the newly built boat was floated on the Nagara River, and a ritual called “funa kabuse” was performed, where the boat is turned over three times to pray for safety.

A representative of the cormorant fishermen said, “Since the boat is fundamental to our cormorant fishing, we want to continue building boats so that the craftsmanship is not lost.”

This new boat will be used in the Nagara River cormorant fishing season, which opens on the 11th of next month.

Nagara River

The Nagara River, located in Gifu Prefecture, Japan, is renowned for its clear, pristine waters and is one of the country’s three most famous clear streams. Historically, it has been central to the tradition of *ukai* (cormorant fishing), a 1,300-year-old practice where fishermen use trained birds to catch river fish. The river also played a key role in local transportation and culture, and its scenic beauty has been celebrated in Japanese literature and art for centuries.

Gifu City

Gifu City is the capital of Gifu Prefecture in central Japan, historically known as a strategic castle town during the Sengoku period. It is famous for the iconic Gifu Castle, originally built by the Oda clan in the 13th century and later a stronghold of the warlord Oda Nobunaga. Today, the city is also renowned for its traditional cormorant fishing (ukai) on the Nagara River, a practice dating back over 1,300 years.