Guide to Noto’s Satoyama and Satoumi (Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems) by Photos and Movies
Name
Flathead Mullet Watchtower
Address
Anamizu Town
Category
Life
Class
Traditional technique
Age
17th century～19th century
Comment
A 10m-tall scaffold is set up in an inlet to watch flathead mullet. It is made of logs that are combined to form a structure in the shape of a pyramid, and there is a seat at the top. People watch the 25-m² net at the bottom of the inlet, and pull it to catch fish when a school of fish comes along. The origin of this traditional fishing method is not clear, but it was used from the Edo period until the end of the war. There used to be more than 10 watchtowers, but they disappeared due to a decrease in the number of fish, and the amount of time and labor required for fishing. The fishing has not been conducted since 1996; the four watchtowers that exist today are for tourism purposes only. In 1889, an American astrologist, Percival Lowell, visited Noto and described the watchtower as being “like the nest of the mythological bird Roc”.
Flathead mullet watchtower, Anamizu Town
Flathead mullet watchtower, Anamizu Town
Material Link
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