1.
cormorant
A large fish-eating waterbird with a long neck. In Japan, cormorants are best known for their use in the traditional fishing method called ukai.
鵜が魚を捕った。
The cormorant caught a fish.
川で鵜が泳いでいるのを見た。
I saw cormorants swimming in the river.
長良川の鵜飼いでは、鵜匠が鵜を使って鮎を捕る。
In cormorant fishing on the Nagara River, the cormorant master uses cormorants to catch sweetfish.
Known primarily for 鵜飼い (cormorant fishing), a traditional Japanese fishing method where trained cormorants catch fish, especially 鮎 (sweetfish). The most famous location is the 長良川 in 岐阜. Also appears in the expression 鵜呑みにする (to swallow something whole, i.e., to accept something uncritically).
COMMON COLLOCATIONS:
- 鵜飼い — cormorant fishing
- 鵜匠 — cormorant fishing master
- 鵜呑みにする — to swallow whole; to accept uncritically
CULTURAL NOTE:
鵜飼い has over 1,300 years of history in Japan and is designated as an intangible folk cultural property. The 長良川 鵜飼い season runs from May to October and is a major tourist attraction.