noun
cormorant fishing
Traditional fishing method using trained cormorants, practiced in Japan mainly on the Nagara River.
岐阜県の長良川では、毎年夏に鵜飼いが行われる。
Cormorant fishing is held every summer on the Nagara River in Gifu Prefecture.
noun
cormorant fisherman
A person who practices cormorant fishing; often called 鵜匠 (うしょう) in formal contexts.
鵜飼いは、鵜を巧みに操って魚を捕る。
The cormorant fisherman skillfully handles the cormorants to catch fish.
Irregular okurigana usage; seen in proper names and traditional contexts.
Formal term for a cormorant fishing master, often used in official or historical contexts, while 鵜飼い is the more common word for the fisherman or the practice itself.
Compound of 鵜 (う, cormorant) and 飼い (かい, keeping/raising), from the verb 飼う (かう, to keep/raise).