Ukai (Cormorant Fishing) : PhotoStory

Monks visiting Isawa in Kai Province meet an old cormorant fisherman. They listen to his unhappy fate. He was killed for violating the prohibition on fishing.

The old man offers to show them the cormorant fishing that was the source of his sins. He raises a damp pine torch.

The basket of birds is opened and the cormorants are released into Isawa River.

Under the light of the fire, the cormorants chase the fish and gulp them down. No other type of fishing is so entertaining.

The time for fun comes to an end with the arrival of moonlight. The ghost, in a dejected state, disappears into darkness.

For the sinner’s memorial service, the monks write single characters from the Lotus Sutra on stones from the riverside. These are thrown into the water and sink below the surface.

King Yama, the lord of the realm of the dead, appears with great force. “Hell exists right in front of people,” he tells them. “Evil demons dwell in people’s hearts.”

“Cormorant fishing is sinful. But out of consideration for this act of the monks, it has been decided the fisherman will be sent to Paradise.”

“Relying on the teachings of the blessed Lotus Sutra, the monks held a memorial service with compassion in their heart. This being so, the sinner is saved.”

In Isawa, there is a statue of the cormorant fisherman from the legend on which the Noh play Ukai is based.