岐阜長良川鵜舟の圖
Cormorant Boats on the Nagara River, Gifu
On the Nagara River, a row of long, narrow boats floats side by side, with small figures standing on them.
About this photo
Behind the boats a broad expanse of river opens out, and low mountains run across the distance. From the right, a dark mountain slope presses in, its foot reaching down to the water.
After the Meiji Restoration took away its protection, cormorant fishing (ukai) on the Nagara River was at risk of dying out. In 1890, the Imperial Household Ministry made the cormorant masters (usho) members of its staff so that the fishing could go on. Today a cormorant master and two others still ride a wooden boat downriver to fish, lighting the water with fires of split pine.
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- Source title
- 『日本名勝写真帖』（明治31年10月）
- Held by
- National Diet Library, Japan
- Why it's free to use
- Copyright expired (public domain)
- Original item
- View in the NDL Digital Collections
- Taken
- 128+ years ago
- Added to site
We have not altered what the photo shows or its source title. About historical wordingAbout image restoration
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