Trout and Seasons of The Mountain Village - Other fish in the Mountain stream

Other fish in Mountain stream
These are some of illustrations that I drew for Headstream Museum of Forest and Water in Kawakami village Nara.

Ugui (Japanese dace)

Tribolodon hakonensis

Length of about 30 cm (12 in). Ugui inhabit all over Japan except Okinawa, South Chishima islands, Sakhalin, Amur river, and from Korean peninsula east shores to Far Eastern Russia.
The adult fish show nuptical coloration of three red stripes when becoming a spawning season.
It is said that Japanese name of Ugui came from "Fish that Cormorant(u) eat(gui)".

Aburahaya (Amur minnow)

Phoxinus lagowski steindachneri

Length of about 15 cm (6 in). Aburahaya inhabit the Mainland of Japan, north-
eastern of China, and from Korean peninsula east shores to Far Eastern Russia.
They live in the place where the flow is loose. They are called Aburahaya because they slime like having painted oil(abura).


kawamutsu (Dark chub)Candidia temminckii
Length of about 18 cm (7 in). Kawamutsu inhabit the Mainland of the west from the Chubu region, Shikoku, Kyushu, and Korean peninsula etc. Male adult fish show the nuptial coloration of red belly, white dots in the face when becoming the spawning season. They can fish easily as fish other than the purpose of the Amago fishing.

Kajika (Japanese fluvial sculpin)

Cottus pollux

Length of about 15 cm (6 in). Japanese peculiar kind. Kajika inhabit the Mainland, Shikoku, Kyushu, the southern part of Hokkaido. They live in the mountain shallows where clear water and lots of stones exist. The egg laid in the ceiling of the stone from March to June is defended by the male sculpin.


Oikawa (Pale chub)Opsariichthys platypus
Length of about 15 cm (6 in). Oikawa inhabit the Mainland of the west from the Kanto region, Shikoku, Kyushu, and lives in Korean peninsula, China, etc. Male adult fish will be beautiful color shining like blue green, red, yellow brown in the spawning season. They do not live in the upstream like Ugui (Dace).

Ayu (Sweetfish)

Plecoglossus altivelis altivelis

Length about from 10 cm (4 in) to 30 cm (12 in). Ayu inhabit Japanese various places of the south from the west Hokkaido. Ayu's kind inhabit Korean peninsula, Chinese coast part, Taiwan.
The adult fish eat the algae that attach to the stone in the riverbed, and make the territory, so Tomozuri using the territory is famous. Kebari-fishing until they become adult fish is also well known. They have the smell like the watermelon. They finish their life in one year.

My drawings of trout were used in the scientific documentary film "A TROUT IN THE MILK" that reexamines the relationship between Japanese people and char and explores the vision for the future to better conserve the natural environment.

Click on the images.