Nagaragawa Cormorant Fishing - 長良川鵜飼

Ukai, cormorant fishing on the Nagara River in Gifu, has been practiced for over thirteen centuries and was designated an imperial household fishery. The spectacle of ukai — conducted at night from wooden boats, with leashed cormorants diving for sweetfish (ayu) by the light of iron fire baskets (kagaribi) suspended over the bow — was a celebrated subject in Edo-period prints and continued into the [shin-hanga](/glossary/shin-hanga) era. Nomura's treatment likely depicts multiple boats in procession along the dark river, their fire baskets casting orange and yellow light across the water surface and illuminating the cormorants and their handlers in dramatic chiaroscuro. The dark river and night sky, rendered through deep blue-black [bokashi](/glossary/bokashi) gradations, would frame the warmly lit activity at the center of the composition. The reflection of firelight on moving water, achieved through the layering of transparent color blocks, is among the most technically demanding effects in woodblock printing.