Donbe and Maruko-bune

Onoe, Kohoku Town, Shiga
(Japan)

Donbe which were used as crawls of Ko-ayu (small sweetfish) are seen on the left in the foreground of the above picture. And behind them is Maruko-bune (a traditional cargo boat unique to Lake Biwa). The owner of the boat, Sasao Yamaoka, together with his wife used to carry two truckloads of woods to Oumi Hachiman everyday by Maruko-bune. Today the harbor is reclaimed and only narrow canal remains. Mountains and trees in the background recall us the past. (A. Kobayashi)