The roots of this exotic and ancient spectacle are in the very distant past, in those troubled feudal days, when the shoguns banned under fear of death to catch the fish from their water sourses. Only the shogun could eat fish. Only for a special groups of fishermen could caught and brought to shoguns table fresh perch, eels and other edibles. And shogun arranged lavish trips to the river, accompanied by an unimaginable number of guests and servants.

And people made a miracle. They have learned to use cormorants to catch the fish.

The learning process by master (usho) of cormorant (y) takes a long time. To start he cut wings to young cormorants. Another master rasp his teeth on the beak, the bird not in any case crippled the master. And then starts the long routine of training birds. Bird has on her neck the ring. It should not be too weak – a bird  can swallows fish, but should not be tight – Cormorant simply suffocate. A rope to which is attached Cormorant, 4 meters long. You must be very skillfully to tie it. From too weak rope he slips. Of course he do not run away, but  will not catch the fish. Strong rope does not give him the freedom of fishing. After that cormorants are trained to swim slowly on the rope, jumping from the boat into the water, take off on board. Then you can try to take out the young Cormoran fishing with veterans  of fishing.

Fishing boat is long – about 13 meters. In the boat, two people – actually a fisherman and he who controls the boat. These two people have to work very smoothly and quickly.

Clothes of fishermen are very unusual and does not contain any of random parts. On his head a linen cap, which protects the hair from the fire. The body protects special sweater and breastplate. Instead of trousers fishermen fit something like the skirt of the long straw ropes impregnated with a special liquid. On his feet there are sandals, shoe which does not slip on the fish scales.

The bow of the boat has hung a large iron basket. It is laid pine logs and burning them. This fire not only covers all around, but also attract the fish. The master is on the bow of the boat. In his hands he holds 10 pitches, each of which is attached cormorant. Sits behind the steering. All of this construction, completely magically illuminated by light of burning wood, with a sheaf of sparks escaping and rushing ahead of cormorants on the river is moving at night. Cormorants are worried and rush forward. Suddenly they begin to dive into night river. The man on the nose also sees the fish and carefully watches his birds. When any of them  catch fish, master cleverly take out the lace and drags fisherman-cormoran in the boat. Alas, a cormorant selected prey, and he himself was again thrown into the water. This picture is so fantastic, that in reality is going to believe with great difficulty.

At the end of fishing bird, of course, receive the deserved dinner. However, we also have dinner, just before the fishing and it was no less exotic than fishing.