Yana is the term used to describe the traditional fishing technique where fishermen would set up a dam made of wood, bamboo, and other materials in a section of a river to direct the current into one location. There, a platform made of woven bamboo stems called a su is laid out and catches the fish that fall.
The Kosa Town Yanaba began operations when Lord Kato Kiyomasa, moved by the beauty of the ayu (sweetfish) in the Midori River, built a teahouse specializing in river fishing.
In 1633, the teahouse was reconditioned by Lord Hosokawa Tadatoshi, who succeeded Lord Kato and governed the Higo Clan, and from then on, it would become a historical location where generations of Higo Clan lords would enjoy watching the ayu fall into the traps.
Visitors here can sample ayu cuisine in the same atmosphere as it was at the time, sitting in an old-world thatched-roof pavilion while watching the ayu dance about in the clear stream.
The Kosa Town Yanaba gives generations today a taste of oryo, a practice adored by the lords of the Edo period.