Tenkara in Japan – live

I thought I would not log on at all during the weekend, but found a few minutes of online time before heading to bed.

This morning I drove to Kaida-kogen, an area very popular among fishermen, for a tenkara class and fundraiser event with Dr. Ishigaki and Kurakami-san.

I left Maze at 6AM, arrived here at 8AM. It rained a little in the morning, and then hard in the afternoon. There were moments when the scenery was just awesome, at other moments the visibility was very low. Here’s a shot from one of the clear moments of the day when a layer of fog raises above the stream.

A little bragging, this morning I believe I was the only person to catch a fish in our group of about 15 people. And, in the afternoon I caught 4 fish, while the entire group had 1 fish among them. The stream has quite a few fish, but I believe the water was very cold today, and the fishing difficult. Not great numbers to really brag about, but it was easy to keep count today.

Here’s Ishigaki-sensei doing a demonstration to the class. He’s finally ditched the vest!!! Yes, he said it’s too hot and he doesn’t carry that many things in it anyways. I noticed he wasn’t using a vest on the Itoshiro event, so I finally asked him if he ditched it altogether.

After fishing in heavy rain for about 4 hours, and catching my fair share for the day, I headed to an onsen. Just can’t seem to get enough of onsen, especially when it rains. I absolutely love that part of Japan for those rainy/cold days of fishing.

The most fun today may have been the charity event after dinner. Dr. Ishigaki and Kurakami san are taking every opportunity to raise some money  for the earthquake victims. But, the event mostly consisted of underpricing things and if more than one person wanted the item they had to do rock/paper/scissors. It was a great way to have fun, but not a great way to raise money. I donated a Tenkara USA tshirt and a couple of sets of flies, those may have been the most popular items tonight. Then, the last item was the giveaway of a brand new Shimano tenkara rod. All those present participated in a rock/paper/scissors game to win the free rod. And, guess who won… yes, I did! But, I truly have no use for it as you may imagine, so I decided to turn it around and introduce an American-style auction into the party with bids starting at $50. The auction raised about $80, still a great bargain for the winner (photo below), but an additional chunk of money for the earthquake victims.

Iwana handle upgrade. Now available

If you purchased one of our Iwana rods prior to last year, you may now get the upgraded handle for your rod.

Based on feedback from anglers in Japan, we redesigned the handle of the first version of the Iwana rod, improving its length, contour and cork quality. Instead of buying  a new rod for $147.95, you may simply get the upgraded handle for your rod for only $36. One of the many advantages offered by the design of tenkara rods. The upgrade handle is available here.

Tenkara nets now available.

I have said it before and will say it again, I have fallen in love with tenkara nets for stream fishing. After a lot of requests for us to offer tenkara nets and a long period spent developing nets that could be made with high quality and consistency, I’m proud to announce that our tenkara nets are finally available.

The best mesh for stream fish.

The super fine mesh of tenkara nets is absolutely ideal for stream fishing. Hand-made with nylon, the mesh has tiny 2mm gaps, which presents several advantages for stream fishing and until now have not been offered to anglers outside of Japan. The very fine mesh gently cradles the fish to minimize damage to its skin.  A fish will never get caught in the gaps, as may happen in the wider gaps of some nets where the gills or jaw of fish can sometimes be damaged when they thrash around in other nets. It’s very light weight and retains no water (a quick shake will dry it entirely). And, my favorite, it will not snag your fly.

The best net design

Based on the original “design” of tenkara nets, which are made with one single branch and have a frame positioned at an angle from the handle, one couldn’t come up with a more functional design nowadays. The angle between the frame and handle can serve several purposes.

It allows you to position it on your back, through the wading belt ,while the net stays off your back and allows for free movement. When fishing in shallower water you can press it behind your knees after you net a fish so you can use both hands to manage the fish, or take a picture.  If in deeper water, you can also leave the handle through your wading belt on your side as you have both hands free to unhook the fish or take a picture. The round handle also ensures you can position it between your legs, or the positions mentioned above, and it won’t turn. In sum, a very well designed angler’s tool and it has become our favorite picture-taking device.

For more information on why we love tenkara nets so much please see our blog posts on tenkara nets: https://tenkarausa.files.wordpress.com/2010/09/netuse.gif?tag=tenkara-net

We also offer separate mesh for the nets in case you want to venture into making your own tenkara nets.

Tenkara nets

I have absolutely fallen in love with tenkara nets (tenkara tamo in Japanese).  As I got to see many examples up close, and learn about how they are made, and about their design, I realized tenkara nets are just masterpieces of simple organic, yet functional design. Each net is a work of art and I’m surprised I haven’t run across one at a museum somewhere. True, I haven’t been this excited about something since I discovered tenkara rods.

One of the main reasons for their appeal is the fact that tenkara nets are made out of a single branch of a tree. How much simpler can it get? No carving, no manufacturing, a simple, organic, tree branch selected and used to make a strong, and functional net frame. Of course, simplicity doesn’t always mean easy, and in this case it definitely does not.  A good tenkara net is very hard to make, and it takes a long time to finish.

The process of making a real tenkara net starts with the selection of the wood; this is the most important step, and the defining one in the process. A tenkara net craftsman will spend days walking in the woods in search of the branches that will work well for making a net. He’ll look for just the right branch with the right angles and diameters. After I learned how these nets are made, I have spent a lot of time looking up to trees, trying to identify those branches that may offer the right angles for a net, and they are really not easy to come by, at least not to the untrained eye. As a result, every single net will be a completely unique piece, with lots of effort put into each one.

Traditionally tenkara nets are made with branches from the kaya tree (Torreya nucifera), a relatively rare type of conifer tree found in southern Japan and an island in South Korea. The trees are a protected species; they are slow growing trees, confined to a small area; thus, any branches that are found are even more highly prized. While I believe many other trees may work, the kaya seems to be ideal for these nets, it’s durable and hard yet lightweight,  the wood has interesting patterns and a uniform grain. One of the nets I purchased, a slightly “large” one with a longer handle weighs a mere 3.5 oz. Occasionally bamboo is also used, though bamboo is not as durable for this application, and more difficult to work with, so makers tend to prefer wood branches.

In Gujo, Gifu prefecture, we visited a shop that specializes in tenkara nets. The store is run by the artisan and his wife and almost all nets are made by him. It is one of the few places in all of Japan that makes and carries thems. It’s a wonderful display of unique and authentic tenkara nets, some simple and functional, some with unique wood features, and some featuring ornamental deer antlers, which are said to protect anglers in the water. Yes, I did feel like a “kid in a candy store”.

The design and features of a tenkara net

Tenkara nets are just perfectly designed, even though no one ever really designed one, and even though I’ll suspect no tenkara net is never really “perfect”. As a matter of fact, imperfections are more than welcome on the nets, there is no need for the frame to be perfectly leveled or for the wood to be free of “flaws”. This may actually be their allure. The natural aspect of each branch is fully embraced by the maker, and by the angler. I think the concept of wabi-sabi applies well here. I have always been a big fan of Japanese design, and with so much inspiration from all aspects of life, even fishing, it’s no wonder Japanese design tends to be so clean, and functional.

The round shape of the net comes from the way the nets are made. Essentially one gets a branch that is Y-shaped (normally a trident shape, where the middle branch is cut off), and through a process of drying and steaming the wood, as well as forcing it into shape, bends the net frame into a circle. The reason for a circle shape is simple, a circle is the strongest shape that can be made to receive pressure or hold weight. Thus, a good circle is also a good indicator of the quality of the net. The circular frame is the best shape to uniformly distribute the pressure a fish puts on the frame, as well as on the net mesh.

The angle between the net frame, and the handle, is also an important functional attribute. As I experienced, this angle is supposed to help in a few ways. When wearing a wading belt (or a regular belt for that matter) the angle keeps the mesh and frame off one’s back, thus allowing the angler to move freely as he walks or climbs over a rock.

Further,  the longer handle usually found on a tenkara net along with that angle allows for the handle to be held behind the knee as one is kneeling on the water, while having the net and fish facing slightly forward. This allows for the tenkara angler to have both hands free as manages the fish, removes the fly, and yes, takes a picture. If one is wading a bit deeper, the same may be done by having the net held by the wading belt, or even under the arm pit as he manages the fish at a comfortable angle and with both hands. Yes, ingenious design!

Click below for some very instructive web pages (in Japanese) on making the nets.

Tenkara Rods

Ayu
$165.95
13ft, 5:5 action, mid-weight
Our longest rod at the moment, it’s a great rod for its versatility and delicate sensation

Ebisu
$159.95
12ft, 5:5 action, mid-weight
At a “standard” 12ft the Ebisu rod has a truly unique red-pine wooden handle. The wooden handle is unique in its aesthetics and its sensitivity to subtle bites. It’s a slow rod, with similar build as the Ayu, but feels faster because of shorter length.

Iwana
$135.95
11 OR 12ft, 6:4 action, light-weight
The Iwana is a beautiful precision tool. Our lightest rods, either at 11 or 12ft long, the Iwana has the perfect action for delicate yet accurate casting. But, don’t let the “light-weight” description fool you, because of its superb construction and high-quality materials it’s been known to handle VERY good sized fish. It’s our choice for smaller streams, or consistently catching large fish.

Yamame
$139.95
12ft, 7:3 action, “heavy”-weight
The Yamame is our most robust rod. It’s a true tenkara rod, that is, made for small stream fly fishing. It’s sensitive rod transmits the vibration and take of small fish very well, yet it serves to protect light tippet when handling large fish. It has the most backbone of our rods, and is the recommended rod if you are consistently catching larger fish (i.e. >15″).

1% of the purchase of any Tenkara USA product goes direct to conservation projects

For more information on the rods, or to purchase tenkara gear, please visit www.tenkarausa.com or call +1.888.483.6527