2021 TOP 100 GOOD
PRACTICE STORY
Title of the Story: Passing on the Culture of the Nagara River Basin
Destination Name: (include any state, province or region)
Nagara River Basin, Gifu Prefecture
Country: Japan
Submitter name: Tatsuya Watanabe
Email address: c11334@pref.gifu.lg.jp
Position: Director, Tourism Policy Planning Division, Tourism and International
Affairs Bureau, Department of Commerce, Labor and Industry, Gifu Prefecture
Nomination Category: (Please check the boxes that indicate the focus of your story)
Please find detailed information for the categories below in the Top 100 training module ‘GoodPractice Story’.
☐ Localizing the destination supply chain☐ Decarbonizing the destination supply chain☒ Culture & Communities☐ Environment & Climate☐ Nature & Ecotourism☐ Tourism Reset & Recovery

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DESCRIBE YOUR GOOD PRACTICE STORY
Address each aspect of your good practice story in the different sections being specific including relevant quantitativeand qualitative information.

Issues faced
The Nagara River, one of Japan’s three largest yet clean rivers, has nurtured a lifestyle and culture unique to thepeople of Gifu Prefecture. The lifestyle with these clear waters can be represented by traditional crafting
industries called “takumi no waza,” where artisans continue their various traditions by using river water to makethings like Mino Washi Paper, Seki Blades and Gujo Honzome Dye. Cormorant fishing, a traditional method ofcatching ayu sweetfish with a history of 1,300 years, and the lifestyle wisdom of “waju,” which is used to protect
villages from flooding, are also aspects unique to the local river culture.
However, with an aging population the number of people responsible for preserving and passing on thetechniques that have been handed down in the Nagara River basin is decreasing, dangerously threatening theexistence of the techniques.
With the World Agricultural Heritage Ayu of the Nagara River, the lives of ayu-dependent people, the water
environment and various fishing resources are mutually linked. Nagara River System has been established inorder to start the cycle of sustainable practices. Thus, efforts are being made to conserve and utilize resources, but
the number of fishery cooperatives in Gifu Prefecture has decreased from a peak of 64,000 in 1986 to 36,000 in
2017.
On the Nagara River, the traditional fishing method of using birds known as cormorant fishing has been handed
down through generations for 1,300 years. However, there are only two craftsmen in the prefecture who canmake the special fishing boats from which the master fishermen control the cormorants. There are no blueprints
for building these cormorant fishing boats because the special process is handed down orally among boatbuilders. The six boats owned by the cormorant fishermen are aging rapidly, but with few builders and noblueprints, repairs are not easy.
Also, in the Mino Washi Paper industry, which is a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage, demand for washi isdecreasing due to changes in lifestyle practices. Washi artisans are switching to other industries or closing theirbusinesses due to a lack of successors, making the initial aging problem even more serious.
Wagasa, a traditional parasol craft that has continued in Gifu since around the Edo period, has incredibly complex
structures with more than 100 steps in its production process and the work is normally divided and carried out bymany different specialized artisans. There is a shortage of successors for the artisans who make the frames, thefoundation of the umbrella and those who make the "rokuro" -- a key component of the parasol that binds thebamboo together. The situation of the rokuro artisans is particularly dire as there remains only one artisan left. If
this situation continues, the production of traditional Japanese parasol will come to a halt not only in Gifu, but allof Japan.
In all these cases, the reason behind the decline of artisans is because the demand for traditional crafting products
is dropping, resulting in the lowering of their earning power and making it less appealing as possible a career toyoung people.

Methods, steps and tools applied
In the Nagara River basin, Gifu Prefecture is working together with both public and private sectors of the four
cities of Seki, Mino, Gujo and Gifu City to promote and strengthen the brand power of the area in order to utilize
the resources nurtured by the Nagara River and promote multi-municipality sightseeing.
Additionally in 2019, the World Agricultural Heritage "Ayu of the Clear Nagara River" Promotion Council
formulated the Second Stage World Agricultural Heritage Conservation Plan, which examines issues in the fields
of agriculture, forestry, fisheries, tourism and the environment, and sets numerical goals while implementing
projects to achieve them at the same time.
【Initiatives to secure people who can carry on the various river-basin cultures】
・The Nagara River Central Fisheries Cooperative Association has been working to foster future leaders byholding ayu-sweetfish fishing classes for children.
・ In order to provide visitors and children with hands-on learning programs to familiarize themselves with theNagara River and the culture it fosters, we established the MINO-WASHI Museum in 1994, the Nagara River
Ukai Museum in 2012 and in the Nagara River Ayu Park in 2018.
・The training of both 1) workers such as tourist guides who can explain about the Nagara River basin's
sweetfish, traditional fishing methods and traditional crafts such as Mino Washi paper; and 2) instructors who caneducate future generations about local cultures.
・Organizing Nagara River Onpauku events for successful, local Japanese DMO tourism boards (that are nonprofit organizations) in order to deepen the understanding of local industries and culture through hands-on
experiences, thereby securing the necessary human resources for the future by allowing participants to learn
about and experience the traditional culture, history and food of the Nagara River basin.
・Mino City has established the Nurturing Successors of Hon-Minoshi Initiative as an option for Japan’s
hometown tax scheme and developed a system to collect donations by setting up funds to train workers.
・Additionally, the Mino Washi Preservation Association was established to accept trainees and provide
technical guidance.
・In regards to cormorant fishing boats, the two existing artisans are providing technical training to younger shipbuilders in a local shipyard.
・For Japanese parasols, the Gifu Wagasa Association was established to train successors for the craftsmen who
make wagasa frames and “rokuro.” Funds were raised through crowdfunding services to help train thesesuccessors.

Key success factors
・The establishment of a diverse council consisting of stakeholders from different fields such as agriculture,
forestry and fisheries organizations plus various municipal government in order to promote the agriculture,
forestry and fishery industries in the Nagara River basin, to pass on traditional fishing methods and culture, toconserve the river and its environment on a community-wide basis, and to attract tourists to the Nagara Riverbasin.
・The prefectural government formulated the Second Stage World Agricultural Heritage Conservation Plan,
which incorporates the values of SDGs and sets numerical goals, has implemented projects to achieve thesegoals.
・Residents within the river basin have been receiving environmental education about the Nagara River since
their childhood, which in turn has allowed them to develop an awareness toward environmental protection andconservation of the Nagara River and be more open to actively participating in river purification activities.
・Nagara River basin DMO has played a central role in promoting projects such as providing programs toexperience the history and culture of the Nagara River basin and developing Nagara River brand products withthe cooperation of the government, private sector and local communities.
・The use of crowdfunding and other methods to raise funds for business operations is becoming more diverse,with private businesses and individuals starting new initiatives.

Lessons learned
Cormorant fishing and other traditional crafting industries that use the waters of the Nagara River like Mino
Washi Paper, Seki Blades and Gujo Honzome Dye have been nurtured by the clear waters of the Nagara Riverand continue to develop to this day.
Since ancient times the life, economy and culture of the people of the Nagara River basin have been deeply
connected to the river. For local residents, maintaining the clear waters of the river is both expected and essential
to maintaining their livelihoods.
However, the lack of successors to maintain the culture of the Nagara River has become an issue, making it
necessary for the government, private-sector entities and local communities to continue to work together.
In recent years, funding methods such as the hometown tax payment and crowdfunding have become morediversified. By deepening the understanding of the culture and traditional industries of the Nagara basin,
including the various problems involved, it has become possible to collect funds and receive ideas and advice
from people all over the country who are interested in supporting this area.

Results, achievements and recognitions
In the Nagara River basin, people have been managing the river, preserving its environment, and utilizing its
blessings since ancient times so that the river and locals can coexist. Additionally, municipalities, the private
sector and local communities have worked together to promote efforts that preserve the river for future
generations, and as a result, have received the following global recognitions:・Ayu of the Nagara River System, which closely links the lives of people, the water environment and fisheryresources in the Nagara River basin, was recognized as a Globally Important Agricultural System in 2015 for its
sustainable values in terms of environmental conservation, resource management and securing of workers.
・Among Mino washi, the hand-made washi technique of Honmino paper, for which its raw materials andmanufacturing methods are strictly regulated, was registered as a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage in 2014.
・Four young Mino hand-made washi artisans have established their own workshops, with the number ofmembers of the Hon Mino Paper Preservation Society increasing by two.
・Hon-Minoshi is used in the restoration of national treasures owned by the Smithsonian Institution in the U.S.,
the British Museum in the U.K. and the Louvre Museum in France.
・ Mino Washi is also being used for the official award certificate paper of the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.

Additional references
GIAHS -Ayu of the Nagara River Systemhttps://giahs-ayu.jp/en
Second Stage World Agricultural Heritage Conservation Plan
https://giahs-ayu.jp/data/giahs_action_14-3.pdf
The Official English Tourism Channel of Gifu Prefecture
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCrrWcgUNXEoYka-Gu7Kt8IA