Interview with Daisuke Tsuruta

Mr. Tsuruta, Welcome to Tenkara Fisher. I have been making web sites on small stream fishing since 1997. I started out as a fly fisher and in 2009, while I was searching for a taper to make a split cane fixed line rod, I was introduced to Daniel Galhardo and bought my first tenkara rod from him. I have known Yoshikazu Fujioka since 1997 but I didn’t understand what tenkara was at that time. I have been doing tenkara only since I got my first rod and I’ve been to Japan to fish with my friends there. Many of them are experts and specialists in the type of tenkara and fly fishing. I love tenkara. Maybe almost as much as Ishigaki sensei, maybe not, I don’t know. But I have asked you to be a part of our collection of interviews because of your interests.

I write the interviews in whole; I write it after thinking of what a good interview should be and I suggest that you read what I send you first, then help me make it “flow” by doing your part.

Thank you so much for joining me.

It’s time to begin.

Mr. Tsuruta, can you tell us a little bit about yourself? How old are you, when did you start fishing and what is your favorite kind of fishing?

Daisuke Tsuruta: 1975年生まれの48歳です。8歳の時に初めて釣りをしました。初めての釣りは近所の川でのフナ釣りです。日本ではフナ釣りに始まり、フナ釣りに終わると言われています。年老いたらまたフナ釣りを始めると思います。子供の頃から魚が好きで、学生時代、名古屋大学ではアマゴに関する研究をしていました。その研究の合間にテレビで瀬畑さんのテンカラを拝見したのがテンカラを知ったきっかけで、すぐにテンカラ竿を買いに釣り具屋に行ったことを覚えています。私のテンカラの原点は瀬畑さんですね。そこからテンカラを始めて今年で25年目です。

その他、テンカラ以外ではハンドメイドルアーでのトップウォーターで狙うナマズ釣りも好きですし、真夏にフローターでのフライフィッシングで狙うブラックバス釣りも好みです。日本では「エギング」と呼ばれている「エギ」というルアーで岸からイカを釣るのも好きです。

I am 48 years old, born in 1975, and I fished for the first time when I was eight years old. My first fishing experience was crucian carp fishing in a nearby river. It is said that in Japan, fishing for crucian carp begins and ends with crucian carp fishing. I think I will start crucian carp fishing again when I get old. I have loved fish since I was a child, and when I was a student I did research on amago at Nagoya University. I remember seeing Sehata-san's tenkara on TV during a break in my research, which is how I got to know tenkara, and I immediately went to a fishing tackle shop to buy a tenkara rod. Mr Sehata was the starting point of my tenkara. I started tenkara from there, and this year is my 25th year.

Apart from tenkara, I also like topwater catfish fishing with handmade lures, and I also like black bass fishing with a floater fly-fishing in midsummer. I also like to catch squid from the shore with a lure called 'egi', which is known as 'egging' in Japan.

Adam Trahan: I enjoy tenkara very much. Even after experiencing fly fishing for so long, making bamboo rods and building rods for myself and others, I think I still like tenkara more.

It’s more about fishing than ownership of equipment.

I’ve always said that tenkara is about skill, it isn’t about the equipment.

“What do you think about that?”

Daisuke Tsuruta: 私も同意見です。テンカラの腕は道具の良し悪しではなく、テクニックによるところが大きいと考えています。もちろん、全く張りのない竿だったり、ただの硬い棒のような竿では自在に毛ばりを操ることは難しく、良い釣果をあげることができません。自分の好みにあった竿を見つけることが大事になのではないでしょうか。私の好みのテンカラ竿は少し硬めの張りのある竿で、ピンスポットで狙ったポイントに毛ばりを落とすことができます。

I agree with you.I believe that tenkara fishing skill depends on technique, not on the quality of the equipment.Of course, if the rod has no tension at all, or if it is just a stiff rod, it is difficult to manipulate the fly freely and you will not be able to get good results.I think it is important to find a rod that suits your taste.I prefer tenkara rods that are a little stiffer and taut, so that I can drop the fly on a pinpoint spot.

Adam Trahan: Where I live in Arizona, I am surrounded by desert. Good trout fishing in the mountains is at least a two-hour drive away by fast highway. In our mountains, we can fish for Apache and Gila Trout, Brook, Brown, Tiger and Grayling. We have a diverse cold watser fishery. In our tailwaters, we have large river rainbows. I think I like honryu tenkara best. Genryu tenkara is beautiful and the fish that live there are too but there is nothing like fishing a small stream for the beautiful fish found in a high alpine meadow.

“Can you tell us a little bit about your favorite type of tenkara fishing?”

Daisuke Tsuruta: 私は本流テンカラも源流でのテンカラもどちらも大好きですが、どちらかと言えば源流でのテンカラの方が好みですね。テント泊ではなく、すべて日帰りの源流釣行です。山奥まで行かなくても探せばイワナがむちゃくちゃ沢山釣れる谷はありますよ。一人で釣る時はゆっくり自分のペースで釣り上がり、テンカラを満喫しますし、仲の良い友人と釣りに行く時は自分の釣果よりも彼らに多く釣ってもらうことを心がけています。

I love both honryu tenkara and genryu tenkara, but I prefer genryu tenkara. I don't stay overnight in a tent, but go day-fishing in the headwaters. You don't have to go deep into the mountains to find a valley where you can catch a lot of char. When I fish alone, I take my time and fish at my own pace and enjoy tenkara to the fullest. When I go fishing with my good friends, I try to let them catch as many char as possible.

Adam Trahan: My area is very diverse. In our desert, we have large lakes made by dams. Lots of warm water fishing. Below some dams are cold-water rivers, big big rivers and nice sized trout. In the mountains, we have spring creeks in the alpine environment.

“Can you tell us a little bit about your area where you fish?

Daisuke Tsuruta: 自宅から車で30分から2時間くらいのエリアで釣りをしています。石川県または富山県での釣りがほとんどで、イワナを中心に釣っています。一番近くでは自宅から2kmでヤマメが釣れますし、ブラックバスやナマズも家の近くの池や川で釣れます。イカ釣りも車で30分の場所で釣れるので釣りには恵まれた所に住んでいます。良いでしょ？

I fish in areas between 30 minutes and two hours drive from my home. I mostly fish in Ishikawa or Toyama prefecture, mainly for char. The nearest place I can catch yamame 2 km from my home, and black bass and catfish can also be caught in ponds and rivers close to my home.Squid fishing is also available a 30-minute drive away, so I live in a blessed place for fishing. Nice, isn't it?

Adam Trahan: I sometimes travel with tenkara. Like I said, I traveled to Japan a couple of times but one of my favorite spots to travel and fish, Kauai, Waimea Canyon. It was quite an adventure figuring out the trout there. It is an exotic place to fish, a very rainy jungle place but the day I got to fish, the clouds were hiding, the sun was shining and I got to realize my goal of catching the wild trout there. It’s not an easy place to fish, many things work against the Waimea Canyon fisher.

I don’t carry much.

I’ve been called a minimalist.

I don’t really consider myself a minimalist because I have everything I need. I don’t need much though. I think a lot of stuff takes you away from experiencing the moment outdoors. I don’t have a problem picking out something I like that I may not need but want to take. It's something I do so that I enjoy my fishing.

I have a small bag that has a wooden compartment box, a spool to hold my mainline, a spool of tippet, a nipper and a hemostat. I might have an extra line or a thumb drive that has a lot of tenkara stuff on it for people that I meet that are very interested. All of my different types of tenkara are based on that small bag.

“Please tell us about your tenkara and how you prepare and what you take on the stream?”

Daisuke Tsuruta: 私もそんなに多くの荷物を持って谷へは入りません。テンカラ自体がシンプルな釣りなので、竿2本（1本は予備竿）、2種類のライン、数種類のフライ、ティペット等です。源流釣行や単独釣行の場合は、ヘルメットは必須です。その他、クマ避けの海難救助用ホイッスルも必須です。

I don't go into the valley with that much luggage either. Tenkara itself is simple fishing, so two rods (one is a spare rod), two types of line, several types of flies, tippet, etc. A helmet is essential for headwaters fishing and solo fishing. In addition, a sea rescue whistle to avoid bears is also essential.

Adam Trahan: I have a couple of local zones that I fish in the summer and fall. In the winter, I tend to stay at home and fish the stocked urban ponds. It is a break from having to travel hundreds of miles by car just to get to the fish. Although I would not call this type of fishing “tenkara” I am using all the skills as I would fishing in an alpine stream.

“What do you think of urban ponds and using tenkara gear and tactics?”

Daisuke Tsuruta: 自宅近くには釣り堀はないので、行くことはありません。仮に都市部に住んでいたら、冬の間は釣り堀でテンカラをすると思います。源流テンカラとは違いますが、釣り堀のテンカラも面白そうだと思いますよ。

There are no fishing ponds near my home, so I don't go there. If I lived in a city, I would probably do tenkara at a fishing pond during the winter. It is different from genryu tenkara, but I think tenkara at a fishing pond would be interesting.

Adam Trahan: In the winter, when our streams in the high country are blocked with snow, I sometimes fish the urban ponds, most have a bar or pub very close and fishing takes on a little bit different meaning, it’s more of a social event. Speaking of social events and fishing, social media outside of Japan has been important to the development of tenkara.

This web site, although not part of social media, will be available to link through social media. I met you through social media.

“What do you think of social media and tenkara?”

Daisuke Tsuruta: ソーシャルメディアがあったおかげでアダムとも知り合うことができたし、多くのテンカラ友達ができました。この友達の輪はさらに広がっていくと思います。コロナ禍においても気軽に連絡を取ったり、お互いの近況等、情報共有ができましたのでソーシャルメディアは必要だと思います。

Thanks to social media, I got to know Mr.Adam and made many tenkara friends. I think this circle of friends will continue to grow. I think social media is necessary for the Corona Disaster because we were able to easily contact each other and share information about each other's current situation.

Adam Trahan: In the beginning, I did not know much about tenkara. Yoshikazu Fujioka and I have been friends for a long time online, however, I did not know tenkara then. I knew it was some sort of fixed line fishing yet he and I, back in the 90’s was sharing our love of small stream fly fishing.

That’s where we meet.

But then I learned about tenkara and quit fly fishing for about 15 years to learn tenkara, in the best way that I could by total immersion into it.

I learned that many, if not most expert tenkara fishermen in Japan have done or do fly fishing. I think fly fishing and tenkara are the same type of fishing yet are very different.

“Can you tell us what your view of fly fishing is in relation to tenkara?”

Daisuke Tsuruta: 広い意味で言えばテンカラはフライフィッシングの一種だと思います。しかし流れの緩やかなヨーロッパの河川とは違い、急な流れの多い日本で発達したテンカラは、フライフィッシングとは全く別の釣りと私は考えています。日本の渓流で釣りをするならテンカラの方が釣りやすいので、これから釣りを始める人にはテンカラをおすすめします。私自身、フライフィッシングでブラックバスを釣っていて、フライフィッシングの面白さも理解しているつもりです。テンカラとの共通点も多く、フライフィッシングの技術をテンカラに応用できています。

In a broad sense, tenkara is a type of fly fishing. However, unlike European rivers with their gentle currents, tenkara developed in Japan, where there are many steep currents, and I consider tenkara to be a completely different type of fishing from fly fishing. Tenkara is easier to fish in Japanese mountain streams, so I recommend tenkara to those who are just starting out. I myself catch black bass by fly fishing and I think I understand the fun of fly fishing. There are many similarities with tenkara and I am able to apply my fly-fishing techniques to tenkara.

Adam Trahan: I have researched a lot in tenkara books from Japan. Most of the books include fly fishing (Western type) and I believe both are like brothers but different. I personally believe that the best tenkara fishers are made from fly fishers and that tenkara fishers that become fly fishers will go on to become very good at fly fishing. This of course if that person loves tenkara.

In America, tenkara was started by a company that wanted you to sell your fly-fishing gear to “get into” tenkara. I advised this person that this was not the way to grow tenkara. I told him that for people that learned to fish using a tenkara rod, many of them would go on to learn fly fishing. Things happen for a reason, and he didn’t listen to me but he sold his company and walked away from it. So it does not matter.

I believe the two forms of fishing are both a greater part of a fisher's choice.

The next time I travel to Japan, I am bringing a fly rod. It won’t be the reason I visit but I’m never going to leave my fly rods again.

“Speaking of travel, do you like to travel to fish?”

Daisuke Tsuruta: 釣り旅行は好きですよ。子供が大きくなって私の自由な時間が増えたらまた行きたいと思ってます。車にテンカラ竿からルアーロッド、キャンプ道具まで色々積んで、出掛けた先の状況で臨機応変に釣りを楽しむスタイルです。

I like fishing trips. I would like to go fishing again when my children are older and I have more free time. I load up the car with everything from tenkara rods to lure rods and camping gear, and enjoy fishing as I go, depending on the conditions at the destination.

Adam Trahan: It’s one of my favorite things to do, explore with my tenkara rod. Just like I wrote above, my trip to Kauai was probably my favorite even over Japan as it was filled with adventure, failure and success. Bouz or skunked, blanking or not catching fish is not seen as a failure in my book. It rarely happens but it is a necessary ingredient in the meal of my fishing. It keeps the days that I catch fish tasty. It’s like shio (salt) I don’t want very much on my meals and I won’t eat it alone but used correctly, it makes my fishing very special.

Shioyaki trout! And then Kotsuzaki afterwards is a ritual that is very special too. In America, we have people that will not eat their catch. Strictly catch and release, that is what I practice most but I feel strange if I don’t eat my catch every once in a while.

“Can you tell us how you look at catch and release and do you eat your catch?”

Daisuke Tsuruta: 渓流釣りでは基本的にリリースします。持ち帰るのではなく、写真を撮って記録に残すだけですね。家族からの依頼があった場合だけ数匹持ち帰りますが、もう何年間も持ち帰っていません。「エギング」においては釣ったイカはすべて持ち帰ります。数が多く、資源が枯渇しにくいと考えられることと何よりむっちゃ美味しいからです。家族にも大好評です。

渓流でリリースする理由は、釣りに集中しにくくなるからです。せっかく食べるなら新鮮な状態で持ち帰り、美味しく食べたいですので、保冷ボックス等が必要となります。荷物が増えると機敏に動けなくなり、源流釣りには不向きだと考えています。

In mountain stream fishing, I basically release the fish. I don't take them home, I just photograph them and record them. I only take a few fish home if my family asks me to, but I haven't taken any home for years. In the case of 'egging' , I take all the squid I catch home with me. This is because there are a lot of squid and it is thought that resources are not easily depleted, and above all because they are extremely tasty. They are also very popular with my family.

The reason for releasing fish in mountain streams is that it makes it difficult to concentrate on fishing. If I want to eat them, I want to take them home fresh and eat them well, so I need a cold storage box or something similar. The more luggage I carry, the less agile I am and I consider it unsuitable for genryu fishing.

Adam Trahan: By the nature of this type of writing, it is a little difficult because I have to imagine what you are going to say. I write it in one piece, send it off and hope for the best when I get it back because I do not change anything after I get it back. This makes me change the subject a little more to keep things interesting and topics separate.

I am finishing the interview at a Subaru dealership. I am waiting for the first service to be done.

My new Subaru Forester is a great car, it is perfect for me to explore the area close or even a thousand miles away, I am able to take my fishing very far without worry.

“How do you do it? Do you travel by car? What kind of car do you have? Or do you take the shinkansen or both?”

Daisuke Tsuruta: 私の家族は皆スバルファンで、妻の車はCROSSTREKです。私も以前はスバルの車を乗っていましたが、現在はスズキのエブリイです。エブリイはminivanなので車体が小さい割には荷物も沢山乗りますし、身長176cmの私でも荷室で足を延ばして寝ることができます。細い道でも走りやすく日本国内での釣り旅ならこの車がベストだと考えています。新幹線や電車では釣りに行きたいと思いません。駅からテンカラのポイントまで遠いことが多くて不便だからです。

My family are all Subaru fans and my wife's car is a CROSSTREK. I used to drive a subaru car, but now I drive a Suzuki Every. The Every is a minivan, so it can carry a lot of luggage for its small size, and even at 176 cm tall, I can sleep with my legs stretched out in the cargo area. It is easy to drive even on narrow roads and I think it is the best car for fishing trips in Japan. I don't want to go fishing by bullet train or train. It is inconvenient because it is often far from the station to the tenkara point.

Adam Trahan: Everyone that I have interviewed has things they do besides fishing. I am 62 y/o and am starting to become an old man. I still ride my bicycle very far and I love to do some hiking but things like my dog and flying radio control gliders, sailplanes are piquing my interest.

“What other things do you like besides tenkara?”

Daisuke Tsuruta: 学生の頃からバイクが好きでホンダのモンキーに乗っています。大学生の時にはバイクにテントやシュラフを積んで2,3週間かけてキャンプツーリングに出掛けたこともありました。当時はテンカラを知らなかったのでもったいないことをしたと思ってます。また、魚を飼うことも好きで熱帯魚等を家で飼っていました。自宅に湧水の池があり、水温は年間を通して常に摂氏19℃もあります。子供のころはその池でグッピー等を飼っていました。現在はテンカラや他の釣りで忙しく、魚は飼っていませんが、将来、大きな水槽でナマズを飼いたいと思ってます。

I have loved motorbikes since I was a student and I ride a Honda Monkey. When I was a university student, I once went on a camping touring trip for a couple of weeks with a tent and a sleeping bag on the bike. I didn't know what tenkara was at that time, so I think it was a waste of time. I also liked keeping fish and kept tropical fish at home. I have a spring-fed pond at home, where the water temperature is always 19 degrees Celsius all year round. I used to keep guppies and other fish in that pond when I was a child. Now I am busy with tenkara and other fishing activities and don't keep fish, but I would like to keep catfish in a big tank in the future.

Adam Trahan: I have been giving the interview subject space to ask me questions about anything they want.

“Please take this opportunity to ask me any questions that you like.”

一年の内、何日くらい釣りをしていますか？ここ何年かは仕事が忙しく年間25-30日くらいです。かつては一年間で200日釣りをしたこともありました！

釣りをしていて、「この瞬間が最高！！」と思う時はどんな時ですか？私の場合は、他の釣り人がおらず、自分のペースで釣りができ、無風で釣りに超集中できる時です。

How many days a year do you fish? For the last few years, I have been busy with work, about 25-30 days a year. I used to fish 200 days a year!

When do you think " This is the best moment!" when you are fishing? For me, it's when there are no other anglers, I can fish at my own pace, there is no wind and I can concentrate on fishing.

Adam Trahan: Like you, I used to fish quite a bit. This year, I think I have fished about twenty days so far. I am about to go fishing for a few days and will probably fish another couple of days before the end of the year so about twenty-five to thirty days. This has not been a good year, I had responsibilities at home and a couple of trips got cancelled due to weather.

On moments; I think my best moments fishing are often when I am walking spot to spot. I am deep in the forest alone or far up a canyon and I get this feeling of how small I am in relation to the earth, the sky. But I feel like I am a part of it all. Sometimes I can hear the wind in the tops of the trees and I start to see the overview of where I am fishing, like if I were a hawk.

I remember moments much more than whole trips. I think it is the moments that are so important.

It is this type of daydreaming while I am fishing that I have my best moments. 

I appreciate you. I like what you do. I was a guest with a group of fishers in Japan that took me fishing. They said it was light genryu fishing, but I felt that they were describing it that way just for me. I think what they called light really wasn’t hard at all.

I understand you do genryu fishing or maybe sawanobori.

“Can you tell us about your adventures doing this?”

Daisuke Tsuruta: 私の源流釣りは、日帰り釣行です。険しい谷や険しくない谷といろんな源流に行ってます。車を降りて30秒で釣りを始められる谷もあれば、崖を降りたり、ダムを渡って入る谷もあります。

私が源流釣りをする理由は二つです。

一つ目の理由は、他の釣り人が入らない谷を知っているので、自分のペースでゆっくりテンカラができるからです。他の釣り人の存在を一切意識せずに魚との対峙に全神経を集中することでテンカラを満喫できます。

二つ目の理由は、むちゃくちゃ沢山釣れるからです。一日の釣行でイワナは70～100匹、その内、“shaku-iwana”（30.5cm over）は、5～10匹は釣れるので、楽しくて仕方ありません。本州で日帰り釣行のテンカラでこれだけ釣れる人は少ないです。何日もかけて山奥まで行けば沢山釣れますが、日帰り釣行だとこんなに釣れないことの方が多いです。

沢山釣るために私が一番重要視しているのが、釣りをするタイミングです。1年の内でむちゃくちゃ沢山釣れるタイミング（日）があります。そのタイミングは谷により違います。前年の積雪量、春から夏にかけての気温の推移、降水量、直近1週間程の水位の変化等です。一時間毎の水位の情報をインターネットで収集し、その数値を2回微分することで土壌の水分量を推定できますので、直前に雨が降ってもどのくらいの時間で元の水位に戻るかもかなり正確に分かります。学生時代に学んだ数学をテンカラに生かすことができました。20年間同じ谷に通えば、経験上ある程度、状況を予測することはできますが、計算でも予測できるのは心強いです。

My genryu fishing is a day trip. I go to various headwaters, some steep and some not so steep valleys. Some valleys I can get out of the car and start fishing within 30 seconds, others I enter by descending cliffs or crossing dams.

I fish the headwaters for two reasons.

The first reason is that I know the valleys where no other anglers enter, so I can tenkara slowly at my own pace. I can enjoy tenkara to the fullest by concentrating all my attention on facing the fish without being aware of the presence of other anglers.

The second reason is that I can catch a lot of fish. In one day's fishing, I catch 70 to 100 char, of which 5 to 10 are "shaku-iwana" (over 30.5 cm), so there is no way to avoid having a lot of fun. There are very few people in Honshu who can catch this many fish on a one-day tenkara fishing trip. If you go deep into the mountains for a few days, you can catch a lot of fish, but on a day trip, it's more common to not catch this many.

The most important thing for me in order to catch a lot of fish is the timing of fishing. The timing is different in different valleys. The amount of snowfall in the previous year, the change in temperature from spring to summer, the amount of precipitation, the change in water levels over the last week or so, etc. Hourly water level information can be collected on the internet, and by differentiating these figures twice, the soil moisture content can be estimated, which also gives a fairly accurate idea of how long it will take for the water level to return to its original level after a previous rainfall. I was able to use the mathematics I learnt as a student in Tenkara: if you go to the same valley for 20 years, you can predict the situation to some extent from experience, but it is reassuring to know that you can also predict it by calculation.

Adam Trahan: I am too late to that party. I wish that I knew about it as a young man. This would have been perfect for me to quit hang gliding. I used to fly at an advanced level and I enjoyed it very much.

“Is there anything else in the world of Japanese fishing that you want to do or are going to do?

Daisuke Tsuruta: テンカラでサケ科魚類以外の魚を釣ってみたいです。とりあえずナマズを釣りたいですね。ナマズはルアーやフライフィッシングで釣ったことがあるので、釣ることはできると思います。その他、自分で作ったの“egi”でイカを釣ってみたいです。

I would like to catch non-salmonid fish with tenkara. For a start, I would like to catch catfish. I have caught catfish by lure and fly fishing, so I think I can catch them. I would also like to catch squid with an "egi" that I made myself.

Adam Trahan: Thank you so much for taking the time to answer my questions. I appreciate what you do and I look forward to meeting you one day in your country.

Daisuke san, please close the interview with anything you would like to say to our readership.

Daisuke Tsuruta: テンカラを通じて多くの友人ができました。いつか海外でもテンカラ釣りをしたいと考えています。海外でも多くのテンカラ友達ができることを願っています。日本に来た時は私がご案内いたします！

I have made many friends through tenkara. I would like to do tenkara abroad one day. I hope to make many tenkara friends abroad. I will guide you when you come to Japan!

Load, Send and Bend; A Look at the Evolution of Tenkara

As an adult that enjoys catching fish, I have used many forms of fishing rods. From casting lures to casting lines, my specialty or chosen practice is fly fishing. As I advance in fly fishing, I study how fishing rods work which leads me to understand how they are built. In my experience, I have spent time with bamboo and composite craftsman learning their craft and ultimately choosing to make bamboo fly rods myself. As I have shared this before, all of this prior to my choosing to understand practice and study tenkara.

Now, as I return to fly fishing after fourteen years, I would like to share a little more of what I’ve learned about the business end and evolution of a tenkara rod.

Is Tenkara fly fishing?

I look at how a rod works, how it is constructed in order to understand each method.

In western fly fishing, the rod is variably loaded and released (casting) which dynamically sends the line and ultimately the fly to its target. The energy, or casting of the rod is transmitted to the line as it runs through guides along the length of the rod. This energy is transferred, dynamically. The variable length of the cast is described by the amount of force applied to the bending potential of the rod. The loading of the rod is released and energy of the bend is sent through the line, the cast length displaying how much force was applied to the rod. The amplitude from the cast and wavelength in the line is variable and dynamic in the potential length of the cast.

Tenkara is fly fishing, Japanese style fly fishing complete in its own form.

With tenkara, the line is attached to the tip of the rod and that connection seamlessly transmits the potential energy from the rod loading into the line. The amplitude and wavelength are essentially fixed by the chosen length of the line.

The technique of casting, imparting action into the rod, has an effect of how well the system transmits the energy to the fly. The results in technique are directly proportional to the understanding of how to balance the application of power through the casting stroke. The timing of casting stroke and the type of stop determines the efficiency of sending the energy to the fly and how the energy is dissipated at the fly.

The bend and resistance or potential energy of the rod is affected by the variations of construction techniques.

The type of material the rod is constructed of and the taper of the rod, thick at the handle, thin at the tip has an effect on the transfer of energy from the rod bend. The material has a speed which the energy of bending resists and wants to return to its resting state.

Carbon fiber cloth is pre-impregnated (pre-peg) with epoxy resin that is rendered stiff by the application of heat. The epoxy in this cloth contributes to the resistance of bending once the epoxy has been catalyzed by heat. The pre-peg composite fabric that modern tenkara rods are made of is often described by the term, modulus. The modulus in relation to the bending and recovery speed of the rod is described numerically. The shape of the cloth once cut and applied to the mandrel, higher modulus number describes a faster return to resting state or speed of elasticity. Carbon fiber cloth with a higher modulus number is denser and more compact with carbon fiber. The shape that the pre-peg cloth is cut into also affects the flex profile of the rod.

In constructing a western fly rod and or a tenkara rod, the material and the taper (how wide at the handle and thin at the tip) will affect the flex profile and the rate of return or speed of the rod. Typically, the faster the rod is, the bend is primarily focused in the tip yet you can create a fast-recovering full flexing rod or a slow recovering tip flexing rod using the variability of materials and taper described.

Joints are part of the rod construction and can be used in the design of the rod Joints affect the bend or flex profile of the rod. Lots of joints, double the material, stiffer and where are those joints placed in relation to the bend affect the speed and flex profile.

Rod design and manufacture consider each element when crafting rods for market, regarding the market, he evolution of a tenkara rod is also affected by the people who practice it.

The evolution of tenkara has a lot to do with how rods perform the way they do.

Born in Japan, tenkara fisherman of old made their own rods from bamboo, the lines from horsehair and the hooks from bent needles. There wasn’t much in the way of descriptions of how the rod performed or even communicated between tenkara fishermen. The method of tenkara was professional in nature and the trade secrets were not shared freely. The results that tenkara fisherman brought to market were much more important. Tenkara rods were the tools of professional fishermen and competition to bring fish to market isolated the descriptions of the tools to of the early tenkara fishermen.

Up until 1960s, rods were made of bamboo. During that time, rod makers offered their craft in small shops in the same villages and cities where the fish were sold. Wazao rod makers or traditional bamboo rod craftsmen made rods available for purchase and use. Making rods took time away from fishing, and fishermen worked with rod makers to produce rods with the desired qualities for their skill in catching fish. Aesthetically pleasing rods that performed well brought the highest prices yet the skill in presenting the fly far outweighed a beautifully crafted rod that was expensive to purchase. Skill was earned through experience and fishing an expensive rod was not the key to making money or feeding your family.

Other more popular forms of fishing rods were produced by larger manufacturing firms. The manufacturing of fishing rods already had progressed, and larger markets were served. Fishing companies such as Sakura was one of the earliest to commercially popularize tenkara to a broader audience. Technology from other forms of fishing rods were used in the production of tenkara rods and in the 1970’s the first composite (fiberglass and carbon graphite) tenkara rods were being produced and sold.

The largest companies that produce rods marketed their products by several means. Tenkara rod manufacture being a smaller portion of the larger market still grew with the advance of better materials and construction. Early tenkara rods were one piece bamboo or wood, the rods being long and the tips of the rods being somewhat fragile, those early rods were left near where the fisherman lived in the mountain streams where they fished.

As rods began to be manufactured in cities far from the streams they were used on, multi piece rods were produced for ease of travel. Some of the first multi piece rods being produced were called “in stick” as the smaller sections were stored inside the larger sections. In-stick configuration progressed to the telescoping or nesting rods as this configuration is far more efficient and compact.

Japanese fishing rod manufacturers marketed their goods by describing the performance and by the aesthetics of the rod. Books on tenkara were written, magazines included tenkara and there were films produced by production companies all which supported the small tenkara communities scattered across Japan. Analyzing what was being sold was part of production and the tenkara rod market was carried along by the broader market of other types of fishing rods but the manufacturing and performance qualities was shared with the tenkara rod manufacture and marketing.

Which brings us to modern times.

It is not widely known that Yuzo Sebata introduced tenkara to America in 1990. However, at that time, in Japan, rods were described by “tone” and by flex profile. A hard tone rod typically had a 7:3 profile. The business of tenkara was already established and reported on thoroughly. In 2009, tenkara was commercially introduced outside of Japan by the Internet and by the information stream from an American company. Marketing tenkara was outside of Japan for the first time and the early marketing was somewhat ackward and wandering as the allure of tenkara was accepted by a large consumer base for many reasons.

Beyond 2009 and the "Outside of Japanese Tenkara Influence" 

During this time, in America, tenkara was supported by one major rod seller. The information coming from this single company was honest and true however the growth of the community and the increased availablity of tenkara equipment from Japan and subsequent growth of the market caused growing pains and in-fighting within our community.

The method of tenkara was reported on and spread by many people that had not been to Japan. The research material was there however the language barrier still very significant and the cost and difficulty in importing Japanese products was not supported broadly. Tenkara, the method was readily adapted by many enthusiasts of simple fly fishing. The method was easy and lent itself to other types of fishing. 

The Japanese term, gyakuyunyu or to re-import became evident as tenkara began to grow in popularity inside of Japan because of the popularity outside of Japan.

Books on tenkara were written by authors outside of Japan, fanzines, Internet HP (home page) produced and the business of tenkara is established outside of Japan. "American tenkara" is now well established.

Tenkara, the method has grown from a small group of Japanese fly fishers bringing mountain stream trout to market. Their rods and methods are generally known throughout the world as Internet access displaces the media information once brought to the general populace through newspaper, books, magazines and film. The equipment and methods can be described and built by non-Japanese sources. It is no longer necessary by the public court to travel to Japan and bring forth the tenkara experience.

Epilogue

I find that tenkara is my connection to Japan and my practice of tenkara connects me to that small community where it all began. Tenkara Fisher is fashioned after Japanese tenkara communities home pages where many of the enthusiasts are shared within the content. I look at my writing here as a blog and nothing more than that. I am reflecting on my experience with it. I now have a history of practicing tenkara and am realizing how the rods were made, the evolution and construction by Japanese technicians in the rods that I use. Often it is cause for my time spent in sharing my experiences as an American tenkara fisher.

ジャパニーズスタイル・フライフィッシング

私は、日本の専門家からテンカラのことを学ぶ前に、何年もフライフィッシングをやっていたんです。

私がテンカラを知る何年も前から、藤岡美和さんを知っていました。私たちは1997年、スモールストリーム・フライフィッシングのウェブサイトを開発しているときにオンラインで出会いました。

ダニエル・ガルハルドから最初のロッドを手に入れるまで、私はこのメソッドが何であるかを理解していませんでした。彼は新しい会社であるテンカラUSAのロッドを販売していました。日本の古い本や雑誌、日本で長くテンカラをやっている人たちから、自分にとって一番勉強になるテンカラの歴史や文化があるとすぐに思いました。

というわけで、そのようにしました。

当時、私は竹製のフライロッドを素材から作るところまで進んでいました。釣りが大好きな私は、ロッドを作るよりも釣りをする方が好きだったのですが、ロッドを作ると釣りから遠ざかってしまうようです。

テンカラの存在を知ったことは、この日本古来の手法を知る上で、絶好のチャレンジでした。

だから、ロッドを作るのを辞めた。フライフィッシングもやめました。日本のテンカラ竿を買って、日本のテンカラを勉強し始めたんだ。

やがて私は日本で榊原正己氏と糸代川に立つことになった。彼は私がやっていた西洋式のキャスティングモーションを解き、テンカラ竿を優しくキャストする方法を教えてくれた。

帰国して、学んだことを自分のホームページで書き始めました。2015年にコロラドで開催されたアメリカの大きなテンカラ会で、ようやく藤岡美和さんにお会いすることができたんです。日本式のフライフィッシングがきっかけで、何年も経ってから会うことになるとは、面白いものですね。

親切な日本の源流漁師、大串圭一さんから声をかけられた。彼は私のウェブサイトを手伝ってくれると言ってくれた。彼の友人が瀬畑雄三さんで、お二人は私を只見の叶津番所に招待してくれたのです。

天野勝利さん、下田和也さん、石垣久男さんなど、多くの日本のテンカラ釣り師を取材していたのです。山本素石の本を読んでセバターさんのことは知っていましたし、日本式のフライフィッシングを深く学びたいという私の夢は実現しつつあると思いました 私は再び日本を訪れ、瀬畑さんと友人の家に滞在しました。キャンプをしながら、穏やかな源流アドベンチャーに連れて行ってもらいました。澤登が何を意味するのかがよくわかりました。私には少し難しかったのですが、この経験は私の夢でした。

テンカラについて啓蒙されて帰ってきた。2017年、またアメリカの大きなテンカラ会で、石垣久男さんとPatagonicイヴォン・シュイナードさんにお会いすることができたんです。質疑応答の時間に、彼らを紹介するように言われました。ビッグネームのたくさんの人たちの前に出るのは、ちょっと怖かったです。でも、もう二度とあんなに緊張しないようにしようと心に誓った。

今、2023年ですが、テンカラだけを14年間続けています。私は、テンカラは世界のフライフィッシングの歴史に日本が貢献したものだと考えています。テンカラは日本式のフライフィッシングであり、私はそれを実践できることをとても幸せに思っています。

今、私は以前と同じ西部の大きなコロラド川を釣っている。今回は5メートルのロッドと7メートルのクリアラインを使用していることを除いては。その差は歴然としているが、釣果は同等かそれ以上だ。最近、サンファン川を探索するようになった。本流テンカラは私の新たな挑戦であり、ラインの限界はあるものの、フライフィッシングと比べれば限界はない。

14年目を迎えた私は、テンカラがシンプルであるのと同様に、残りの人生をかけて人生の深い意味を学び、森や川に戻って再び若々しい自分を見つけることを追求する、シンプルかつ複雑な方法であると捉えています。

遠く離れた日本の友人たちが、自宅で自分のインナーチャイルドを見つける方法を教えてくれたことに感謝します。この日本式フライフィッシングのシンプルな方法は私の中に生きていて、私は森や川でそれを見つけ続けています。

Interview with Dr. Robert Worthing

I’ve read about Robert Worthing since I knew about the Tenkara Guides, Robert Worthing, John Vetterli and Erik Ostrander. Early adopters of tenkara, the three guides are responsible for introducing, teaching and advancing the skills of many tenkara enthusiasts. I interviewed John some years ago and now we are completing Robert’s interview. I'm going to ask Erik next. But this is all about Dr. Robert Worthing. Let’s get started with the interview.

Dr. Worthing, thank you for taking my interview. I appreciate what you do for tenkara and it has been my intent all along to be able to find out about your tenkara fishing.

Please feel free to introduce yourself or anything you want to say.

Dr. Worthing: Thanks, Adam. As you said, I’m a fly-fishing guide and founding member of Tenkara Guides LLC. Our guide company has been dedicated to tenkara and fixed line fly fishing for about 10 years now. Masami “Tenkara No Oni” Sakakibara is my primary teacher. I’m a devout student of and passionate ambassador for the Oni School of Tenkara. I do as much traveling, lecturing, teaching, writing, and anything else that keeps me engaged in the outdoors as possible. I’m an avid climber, backpacker, physician and Navy Veteran. I love my wife, my dog, and my Tacoma camper. In that order. I live in Lexington, KY, these days. When I’m not traveling to hit new waters, I enjoy chasing native Southern Appalachian brook trout around the southern highlands. Still haven’t seen a hellbender in the wild, but I keep looking.

Adam Trahan: I’ve been to Japan a couple of times now and I’m not done visiting my friends there. Now, from my understanding, it is not necessary to go to Japan to have a deeper understanding, especially since there are people like you and the Tenkara Guides. On my first trip, I visited Itoshiro and spent a day fishing with Masami Sakakibara. It was quite a day of fishing. Masami spent some time with me taking the western casting motion and helping replace it with tenkara mechanics. It was exactly what I was looking for.

“You have spent quite a bit of time with Sakakibara san, can you tell us what he taught you?”

Dr. Worthing: Tough question. I’m thankful to Masami Sakakibara for so much! His style really revolutionized my fishing. Early on, Erik Ostrander and I were beginning to develop a different sort of approach to casting. We were doing a lot of aerial mends, or what we called “four dimensional casting”, to improve our fly presentation. We weren’t aware of anyone else that was casting like us at the time. We started to wonder if what we were doing was just crazy. Then we met Oni. We immediately recognized the same sort of approach in his casting, only he had 40 years of practicing it under his belt. He called it “Oni loops”, and he was worlds apart from where we were back then. We couldn’t believe some of the things we witnessed him do on the water. It was so exciting. We threw ourselves right into the deep end. It took years of practice to see real progress toward bridging that skill gap. I must have 4 or 5 field books full of notes and diagrams from that time, on top of however many hundreds, maybe thousands of hours casting on dry land. Casting style is still the easiest way to recognize a student of the Oni School of Tenkara. But there is a lot more involved. The best I can do to summarize it is this. The Oni School starts with developing a deep understanding and appreciation for the trout and the water it lives in. It ends with combining the cast, current, and any manipulation into a single act of fly presentation shared between the trout, the water, and the angler. The result is a serene sense of comfort, peace and real joy when I step on the water. I never would have expected that. If I had to pick one thing for which I was most thankful to Masami Sakakibara, it would have to be that feeling.

Adam Trahan: Masami taught me to teach, he didn’t give me lessons on teaching, I simply observed his approach at helping me. I use some of his exact techniques in helping people learn to cast and sometimes catch their first fish or first fish on a tenkara rod. There are many other Japanese keiryu experts that have helped me as well.

 “I understand that you lived in Japan for a while, can you tell us about that?”

Dr. Worthing: I lived in Japan for about two years while on Active Duty as a Naval Flight Surgeon. I was stationed at MCAS Futenma on Okinawa, traveled the outlying islands in the Okinawa chain for fun and spent a ton of time developing local cliffs and boulders for rock climbing. I also traveled the main island quite a bit playing lacrosse for the Marine Corps. Fishing fit in between the rest. I followed the lead of local friends I’d meet, surf casted for a meal of fresh sashimi washed down with awamori (the island’s saki), learned to hand line giant fish out of the depths off sea cliffs with a 100 year old woman (longest living women in the world), even did some fixed line bait and lure casting for strange species in the freshwater mountain streams (both on Okinawa and the main island). But I didn’t do any tenkara fishing. I didn’t start fishing tenkara until I separated from the military and moved to Utah. The plan was to spend a year on the road, following the rock climbing and fly fishing seasons around the lower 48. I bought one of the original model Tenkara USA Iwana rods, caught a 6” brown my first ten minutes or so fishing, and never stopped.

Adam Trahan: My father is a cardiovascular surgeon, he is now retired but for several years, I was able to work with him helping to operate the heart-lung machine. For a few years after, I worked at an osteopathic medical university, I was hired to help organize a college within the university for cardiovascular perfusion, our students sharing a lot of classes with students that would go on to be physicians. I have worked in cardiology for the last 15 years. Every day I work with physicians, working with them to help people live longer and a better quality life.

“I understand you are a physician; can you tell us about your caregiving?”

Dr. Worthing: I’ve worn a few different medical hats over the years. Wilderness and Operational Medicine was always a big passion, especially where it touches on human performance in austere environments. After life as a Naval Flight Surgeon, I spent some time in the Race Medicine world. I completed a Fellowship in Wilderness Medicine while in the military and for a long time sought out ways to combine my love for the outdoors with my medical career. Organizing and executing medical coverage for ultramarathons, adventure races, expeditions and the like seemed a great way to do it. Ultimately, I realized something got lost in the mix. The experience of both the wilderness and medicine just wasn’t the same, like I couldn’t be fully present for either. At the same time, I recognized a subset of patients that just didn’t seem to get good care. There was a 19-year-old who laid his bike down after returning from deployment, broke both femurs, and was sent home alone from a civilian hospital to his second-floor apartment with both legs in external fixators. I found him lying on his couch, using a Gatorade bottle for a urinal and a bucket for a commode, surviving off Chinese takeout and Tylenol #3. Then there was a deployed Petty Officer who came to me with a weak ankle. He had clear evidence of a nerve injury with risk of functional limb loss, so I sent him home from Africa for advanced care. 6 months later I returned and nothing meaningful had happened to diagnose and treat the guy. So I became a Physical Medicine and Rehab physician (AKA Physiatrist). Rehab docs have the ability to diagnose and treat, only we do it with an emphasis on long term function. We don’t leave you to fend for yourself on your couch after surgery. We aren’t satisfied with masking pain from your nerve injury; we try to recover what was lost instead. Rehab docs are involved in a lot of subspecialties. I landed in Musculoskeletal Medicine and Amputation Rehabilitation. I truly love the clinical work I get to do. Sometimes I still mix my passions and take a group of patients climbing or fishing. For the most part, I’ll stick to enjoying life one passion at a time.

Adam Trahan: My gym at home, Ability 360 is a state-of-the-art rehability facility. I find it inspiring to work out there. I see people with tremendous challenges giving forth effort, way more of a challenge than I have and they are so inspiring. Thank you for helping people with their challenges, it takes a special person to do that, I appreciate your skill, thank you.

True human endeavor is what I enjoy. Fact over fiction, my favorite movies are in the genre of “Free Solo, the Alpinist, Step Into Liquid and others like that. I’m a hiker, I used to climb as a young man, but now I’m an armchair mountaineer.

“I’ve seen some of your social media posts of you climbing, please tell us about it.”

Dr. Worthing: Climbing has been a big part of my life since my first introduction to it while attending med school in North Carolina. At times, it has served as a great escape. It keeps me outdoors. I’ve always been active. Climbing gets the wiggles out and keeps me in good athletic shape. It presents unique problems. And it’s haaard. That’s probably what keeps me at it. I’m not very good at it. I have to try really hard, both physically and mentally, to hold my own. And it pairs with tenkara fishing perfectly. Tenkara’s natural environment is the freestone mountain stream. Mountains are where you find rock. You can climb until you’re tired and torn up, then jump in the water and fish. Right now, most of my rock climbing centers around developing new boulders in and around Kentucky. I break bouldering up with some trad climbing here and there. The climbing community tends to be a pretty tight knit group of fun and friendly miscreants and malcontents. A lot like tenkara, really. Great friendships come out of wrestling pebbles and waving sticks at the water.

Adam Trahan: As a young man, I learned to fly hang gliders. Although I did some tandem flying, it is a sport that you teach yourself by experience. My favorite thing to do was to fly cross country. I remember a lot of flights where I thought to myself, “just stick with the Hans, Jim and Bob and you will fly farther than you ever have.” These three pilots where friends and world champions at hang gliding. But often I found myself in situations that I was far and beyond my skill level. Climbing up inside inverted cloud canyons or in the convex dome of a strong cloud climbing faster than I could glide forward. I learned that I had to learn at my own pace and to stay within my own experience. I learned quite a bit from my hang gliding and paragliding that I can apply to my life as I live it on the ground.

I’m in the last part of my life, nearing retirement age and the next several seasons will be the peak of my fishing life. I’ll have the experience and the ability to be able to catch a lot of nice fish in the rivers of my area. I’m creating my kit, the gear that I use and the techniques that I’ll use. I’m very much enjoying honryu tenkara. There are very few people using big tenkara rods in western rivers. Most fishermen and women fishing big rivers for trout at using fly rods and the rest are spin fishers. I fish the Colorado River in Glen Canyon, I never seen anyone use a tenkara rod. Recently I was introduced to the San Juan river, it was just my friend John Sachen and I fishing Honryu.

I use a 5m rod, 7 - 10m clear soft fluorocarbon lines and a big Ayu tamo. I’ll pick apart a big river like I do a small stream.

“I’ve read about you guys fishing rivers, can you tell us how you fish honryu tenkara?”

Dr. Worthing: You hit the nail on the head when you said, “…pick apart a big river like I do a small stream”. That’s honryu in a nutshell. Utah has fantastic freestone mountain streams. Visiting Japanese tenkara anglers tell us the mountain streams we cut our teeth on are nearly identical to their home waters (only with more fish). A lot of Utah’s designated Blue Ribbon waters, like the Provo and Weber, are big in comparison. We worked to become adept at tricking fish in those waters, too. But the first really big water we fished using tenkara techniques was probably the Green River. Our early honryu experience on the Green involved a lot of experimentation and self-teaching. We got a big boost from Oni, who is known for his long line casting. I’ve also tried to study up on traditional European wet fly techniques in bigger rivers, picking the brains of people like Davy Wotton. One of my primary passions in fishing is visiting new waters. Experience on diverse waters, from headwaters through honryu, means I have more new water to fish. I’ve fished the San Juan, too. Great river. Even on rivers like the San Juan, I tend to keep my rods around the 4m mark. I really like the aesthetic and interplay between cast and current that comes with Oni School Tenkara. Rods longer than 4m tend to start feeling heavy in hand to me, making it harder to control the single handed aerial mending strokes that have become such an integral part of my fishing. I will use a rod like an Oni Type I or Oni 395 to cast a line in the 5-10 meter range. When using lighter, single flies and honryu tenkara methods, I most often use a #2 fluorocarbon level line. On the rare occasion I get an itch to throw a cast of flies, like when fishing slower, less featured rivers, I might use a heavier, tapered line like a Fujino Soft Tenkara in 8-10m lengths. Masami Sakakibara uses the Fujino lines for practice. If you can cast an 8m Fujino line on a 3.4m Oni Type III rod, then casting a few meters of level line with super tight loops into a head wind is no big deal. With all that practice, it was an easy jump to employing the Fujino lines for honryu waters.

Adam Trahan: Although early on, Masami helped replace my western cast with eastern one, I did not learn honryu from him. I basically taught myself. I already was quite an accomplished river fly fisherman knowing where the fish were, I simply needed the upsized tenkara equipment to catch them. I learned from emulating the styles of Koken Sorimachi and Kei Kobayashi. I read about their approach, watched videos, I learned from their experience, from their sharing in the media. Masami did show me the mechanics of tenkara casting which I am grateful for, the lessons in fishing are from my own practice and study.

We exchanged some messages prior to our conversation here discussing our connections to Japan, I appreciate some of what you told me there.

“Dr. Worthing, how do you look at tenkara? Is there a Japanese connection? Or now that tenkara has left Japan, is there any responsibility for us to adhere to any of its conventions there?”

Dr. Worthing: In order to really understand a thing, I’ve always found it valuable to dive into its history. To be a better tenkara angler, I enlisted the help of a lot of friends, both in Japan and elsewhere, and dove into its history as best I could. Perhaps the most enlightening was a study of the literary history of fishing in Japan. The earliest and for many decades only native literature on tenkara came from Kiso Fukushima, Nagano prefecture. In the beginning, Tenkara was a term specific to Kiso. There were similar methods of fishing scattered throughout the Japanese Alps. But since the crew from Kiso were the ones doing the publishing, it is now “tenkara” that we employ. Most of the recognized masters living in Japan today were connected to that Kiso crew in one way or another, including Oni. For better or worse, the word “tenkara” seems to have undergone another linguistic evolution outside of Japan. Tenkara and Japan remain inextricably connected in my mind. When I talk about tenkara, I talk about a method of fishing, born in Kiso and passed down through Oni. That’s my experience of it. I don’t know how much of a responsibility any of us have to play the game of fly fishing one way or another. I do know I found a new sort of joy in tenkara by learning about its history and practicing it as influenced by my friend and fishing father, Masami Sakakibara. It makes me happy to share that experience of tenkara and see a similar joy well up in other anglers. I also get a real joy out of the natural sciences. The native trout to the mountain streams of the Kiso river valley is Salvelinus leucomaenis japonicus, a subspecies of white-spotted char, or iwana. Most salmonids like rainbow and brown trout have a variable number of chromosomes. But some char, like S. japonicus, have a set number of chromosomes. Every one of those iwana subspecies you catch has 84 chromosomes. It just so happens the native Southern Appalachian brook trout I love to chase so much has the same set number of 84 chromosomes. Two char isolated on opposite sides of the world that are the same. That’s a beautiful thought.

Adam Trahan: I sample social media for trends in tenkara but I do not practice tenkara as I understand from the crowd there. For me, if you take 100 people and ask questions individually, you will find that the answers from a crowd of 100 are much different. So that I do not have to explain it any further, there is a term, “herd mentality” that is, individuals alone will act and believe much differently. In a crowd, an individual will conform to the crowd behavior.

I’ve had the experience to have studied Japanese angling 26 years ago. I became friends with Yoshikazu Fujioka in 1996 when we began exchanging e-mail about small stream fly fishing. We shared this common interest. I found out about tenkara back then but I was too deep into ultra light fly fishing small streams than to explore the world of tenkara. I had viewed their community from afar but now, so many years later, I am able to see the effects that the west has on the community of fishing there.

Initially, with Daniel Galhardo’s company and his bogging about his Japanese trips, the friends he made and his fishing experiences, tenkara outside of Japan had a large Japanese component to it. Now some 12 years later, you would not know that. I visit social media sites titled Japanese Tenkara and there are very few Japanese tenkara anglers contributing. By far, Japanese tenkara influence has become dilute to the point where all of the experts in it have little to no current voice.

It is difficult for me to find translators to help me for free. I am constantly in debt, not monetarily but to my Japanese friends that help me with translations. So I owe a debt of gratitude for this wonderful way of spending time in the mountain forest stream environment.

I started fly fishing streams about 50 years ago, sharing fly fishing with the Japanese 25 years ago, tenkara 12 years ago.

“How long have you been fishing? What is your timeline with fly fishing and tenakara?”

Dr. Worthing: I grew up on Maryland’s Chesapeake Bay. I don’t really remember a time when I wasn’t fishing. Every day after school. All kinds of fishing. I dabbled in fly fishing through college, but I didn’t have as strong a rod and reel background as many going into tenkara. That was a blessing in the sense that it left me pretty open to new ideas, methods, patterns of movement and such. Like most of us in the States, I owe my tenkara introduction to Daniel Gallhardo and Tenkara USA. Shortly after I bought my first rod, Daniel gave an evening talk and demo at my local fly shop in Salt Lake City. Erik Ostrander and John Vetterli, my partners in Tenkara Guides LLC, were there. I think Erik, John and I were the only ones to take Daniel up on an offer to grab sushi that night. It was the first time any of us met. It didn’t take long to become pretty close friends. We spent an absurd amount of hours on Utah water that year. We used to fish together, not spread out on the water, but right next to each other. We would swap holes, compare notes, throw out a few well-timed insults and just have a good time. Most tenkara anglers in the States back then were isolated and fishing alone. Whatever success we’ve had over the years is in no small part owed to the fact that we could stir three tenkara heads in one big pot.

Adam Trahan: I continue to write about mountain stream fishing because it’s something that I enjoy. I’ve been at it for a long time and as long as I have fun doing it, I’m going to keep at it.

“Have you written anything on fly fishing or tenkara?”

Dr. Worthing: I love to read and like to write, too. I suppose it’s a bit of a love-hate relationship with writing at times. I’ve written a bunch of tenkara material for magazines, newspapers, and a few books. Those usually flow relatively fast. About five years ago, I decided to tackle a bigger project that demands another level of dedication and discipline from me. At times, I’ve had to walk away for long stretches to get my head straight. The amount of yourself you put into a project like that is where the love-hate thing comes into play. I’ll finish it someday soon, though. Long as I don’t give away too much too soon . . .

Adam Trahan: I practice quite a bit of “untenkara” or urban pond fishing with tenkara gear and techniques.

“Do you do anything like that?”

Dr. Worthing: I’ve tried all kinds of “untenkara”. But for pure pleasure of fishing, I always return to Oni School Tenkara. The only other type of fishing I do with regularity now is Tactical Nymphing. We used Toyota-esque systems design techniques to sort of crowd-source a project that sought to identify common elements among the most successful fly fishing techniques through history. A real kaizen sort of thing. We ended up with Tactical Nymphing, a philosophy of fly fishing that centers around five discrete tactics. Since it’s a way of thinking about fishing as opposed to a recipe for fishing, Tactical Nymphing manifests in different ways for different anglers on different days. My own manifestation involved use of a fixed line rod and sought to apply lessons learned from Oni School Tenkara to the nymphing game. Mixing in some nymphing taught me a few new things about currents. In that sense, I think it helped my tenkara practice.

Adam Trahan: In almost all of my attempts to look forward into the future, I find this one thing to remember that really helps. “In order to know what will happen in the future, look at the past.” I find that this view works also for tenkara.

If I look at the history of tenkara, I see two distinct paths. One is the equipment, the other is the person that is practicing it. The equipment continues to get better and tenkara continues to be discovered outside of Japan.

I believe the future of tenkara is a continuing in equipment innovation and the population of people doing it will fill in.

“What do you see in the future of tenkara?”

Dr. Worthing: Agreed, Adam! A quick stroll through the literary history of fly fishing will quickly teach you that not much new has been said or done in this game for centuries. Materials technology evolves and the equipment changes with it. The trout and the stream remain basically unchanged. The part that evolves in real time is the angler’s skill. I’m enjoying the opportunity to play some small hand in equipment innovation. The part about the person practicing it is what I really love, though. My vision for the future of tenkara involves the spread of tenkara the method. That means increased knowledge of trout and the water they live in. It also means placing an emphasis on what an angler can do rather than what an angler carries. When Tenkara Guides LLC started offering three day Oni Tenkara Schools in Utah, we were really limited to the basics. That’s just where the U.S. tenkara world was at the time. The schools enjoy a high student return rate. A few years into it, we saw a huge shift in the skill level of those students. The last two schools, we’ve covered material way more advanced than we could have touched in the beginning. I hope that’s an indication of what will come.

Adam Trahan: If I were to return to fly fishing, I would focus on freshwater rivers. I believe that is where fly fishing shines. I like inshore and beach fly fishing too but in my area, rivers present a much easier path than crossing the border or fishing the beaches of the West coast of the United States.

I would apply my tenkara honryu knowledge to my fly fishing equipment and use of. If I had to describe it, Euro nymphing would be easier to understand for the herd. But for me, it would be honryu fly fishing.

Or something like that.

I don’t see myself fly fishing ever again, I’m happy where I am at only doing tenkara.

“I bet you still fly fish, do you do any Euro nymphing and can you tell us about it?”

Dr. Worthing: Closest thing I do is Tactical Nymphing. Competition nymphing methods were among the successful fly fishing techniques we analyzed. We decided to share the Tactical Nymphing philosophy that resulted in an open platform on tacticalnymphing.org. We also worked with Jeff Lomino at Riverworks and Luong Tam at Tenkara Tanuki to refine nymphing specific fixed line rods. The result was the Riverworks ZX3 360cm nymphing rod. It ended up with a bit of a cult following, and might end up resurrected as a Legacy model. We just launched a new Riverworks ZX4 395cm nymphing rod. 395cm is a magic length for a lot of my fishing. I’ve waited a lot of years for that rod to get just right. It sold out before the blanks could ship out for assembly at Riverworks. Now, we are at a point where the Tactical Nymphing project has attracted enough attention to encourage offering schools. We will have our first two Tactical Nymphing schools in 2022. Other than that, it’s all tenkara for me too.

Adam Trahan: I tye flys and fish a pattern that works for me wherever I go. I call it the “Wrong Kebari” because I feel that accurate casting is paramount to fly choices. I would rather cast the wrong fly to the right spot than the right fly to the wrong spot hence the name of my fly. I like the idea of “one fly” although I start there, often at the end of the day, it isn’t what produced the fish count. I tye other flys though and as much as I don’t tye, I do enjoy it when I have a big pile of feathers in my waste bag under the vice.

“Can you tell us about your fly tying? Have you developed any flys that you call your own?”

Dr. Worthing: Like writing, I have a love-hate relationship with fly tying. I love the creative aspect of it and view it as an extension of the relationship I’ve built with the trout and the water. The volume of tying you have to do to replenish a fly fishing guide’s box sucks some of the fun out if it. I’ve developed a number of patterns and variants. The Red Assed Monkey is a kebari inspired wet fly that I have a lot of confidence in fishing. That would be my pick for a signature fly. The Grave Digger, Utah Killer Bug and Utah Killer Kebari, and Golden Ticket are a few others I would call my own. All of the above had some base in existing patterns from other anglers. Giving a nod to those that came before you is an important part of maintaining a student’s mind.

Adam Trahan: I appreciate your contribution to the tenkara community. My interview of you is testament to that. Thank you.

I would like to give you the opportunity to ask me any questions you may have about what I do.

Dr. Worthing: I loved my time living in the Mountain West and go back regularly to fish, teach, and see friends. But there is something about the highlands around North Carolina and Tennessee, the Blue Ridge Mountains and Smokies, that always calls me back. You swim through the humid air in the summer and the dampness chills you to the bone in the winter. Good luck ever getting your fishing gear dry. But I just can’t leave it. I know you’ve spent a lot of time in the Southwest.

“What draws you to those landscapes? Do you feel the same kind of pull to a place?”

Adam Trahan: The sun. The weather, the stark beauty of a desert is quite appealing to me. As I pilot, I got to know it even better from the ten-thousand-foot view. I love the solitude of the desert mountains. I think I enjoy being alone with my thoughts whether it be in the forest, the ocean or the desert. The idea of being comfortable in large places, alone, I like that. But I also love my family and the hustle of one of the largest cities in America.

Fly fishing is my time machine, it instantly brings me back to who I am inside, a young boy exploring and the waters? So different from the desert that I know.

Dr. Worthing: One of the things that keeps me in the fly fishing game is the fact that as soon as you think you might have it figured out, nature goes and changes the game on you. Each day, each fish, and each new water presents some new problem to solve. The anglers I admire the most never stop learning. You mentioned approaching the peak of your fishing life.

“Any goals for your fishing in retirement? Anything you hope to learn more about?”

Adam Trahan: I think I'm doing that right right now. I want to learn everything about tenkara now, I want to learn from you now. I want to keep doing the fuck what I'm doing right now. I'm spending time fishing only tenkara, learning from the best people I can find, sharing what I know right now. I just want to keep going, doing what I'm doing now. No change in plans. 

To answer you properly, I want to know what it is to spend the better part of my fishing life in pursuit of Japanese style fly fishing. I want to know what that fishing life is like.

Dr. Worthing, thank you so much for spending some time with us here at tenkara-fisher. I appreciate you.

“Please feel free to say anything you want, nice chatting with you.”

Dr. Worthing: Always a pleasure, Adam. Hopefully we get the chance to hit the San Juan together this year!

Interview with Kazuo Kurahashi

Me, Keiichi san, Go san, Kura san and Adam chan

Interview with Kazuo Kurahashi

I met Kura-san in Tadami on my second tenkara trip to Japan. Our first acquaintance was filled with lots of drinking with many people and talking, partying. The Tadami Bansho were we hung out is a perfect setting for tenkara parties, it’s a very old Japanese building. We fished a couple of times, once on a day trip, another on a genryu adventure. Our initial introduction was through fishing and all the things about it. As we returned from fishing, I was able to talk to Kura-san a little more and I knew we would be connecting once I returned home to the USA.

Kura-san is kind, gentle and a passionate fisherman. He is also a craftsman that makes incredible fishing equipment. Recently, I asked him to make me a ridiculously small box to hold just a few kebari. Before I knew it, he had sent back a picture, “Adam-san, I think it may be a bit small?” No, it is exactly what I asked for and then some.

We share our memories on social media together. I often see more of the images I saw in Japan from his account. He crafts from very lightweight but strong Japanese wood, fishing with friends and I knew it was time to interview him.

Adam Trahan: I apologize for taking so long to do this. I remember outside of the bansho, we had a moment and I promised you and Ito-san that we would do this. 

Welcome to Tenkara-Fisher. This is where I focus my interest in tenkara. Keichi joined me several years ago to help me keep my focus true to tenkara, where it came from, where it is at and where I would like to keep it.

The interviews are fun for me. They usually take about 10 hours to complete all inclusive. Often I will research the person that I am interviewing ever before I begin. In your case, I do not need to do this as we have fished together and spent some time with each other. Now we do social media and I appreciate who you are.

Let me give you this opportunity to just say hello and introduce yourself.

Kazuo Kurahashi: I started fishing when I was 6 years old. I fished various fish using bait and lure in the neighboring river, pond and sea. Anything was enough if I could catch it.

I began trout fishing when I was 25 years old. I was deeply impressed with the mountain stream and the beauty of the fish. I tried spinning, fly fishing and bait fishing.

When I was around 30 years old, I started tenkara fishing. Its simplicity and reasonableness matched well with my way of thinking. Since then, I have been doing only tenkara for about 23 years.

Recently, I have been making fly boxes for tenkara for about 6 years and also, I have just started making spools last year.

Adam Trahan: I am a lifelong fisherman. I have been doing tenkara only for about 12 years but I have been fly fishing since I was a child. Even with fly fishing, I would go through times where I had intense interest and then my passion would not be so strong. I still fish but I am not going as much and it does not occupy my mind like it does at other times. I’m very excited to finally be interviewing you. I know that my interest will be increased because I will be thinking of tenkara fishing in your area! I love travelling and fishing.

That little box for kebari that you made for me. This is one of my passions. To create a little kit that goes with me everywhere. Even to the office. That kit will be many things for me but the main thing it does is it allows me, wherever I am, to be able to go fishing or to show people tenkara. I’ve been thinking of making this box for myself for a long time but I knew that you would be able to make it very light and strong. When I got the picture, it was amazing and when I received the box, I knew the idea was true. Now the only thing I need is a small wooden spool…

When we fished together, I used the Keiru rod from Nissin, the Pocket Mini V3. I do not normally use these rods. I like them, but they are not primary tenkara fishing rods. I handed the rod to many people on my trip and everyone liked the action and the line that I created for the rod is balanced and good for tenkara. 

The Pocket Mini and the Tenkara Mini are perfect for my idea of a travel rod. They fit inside my bags. They are perfect for everyday carry. They are small and fit inside of my small bag. Always there to show someone in the office, the bar, on the street or if I come upon some water, I can fish. 

I have tenkara rods that I use for planned trips. I like the Nissin Zerosum and for honryu, I use the Suimu by Gamakatsu. 

“Can you tell us a little bit about your equipment? How you choose it, how you have developed your collection?”

Kazuo Kurahashi: I choose the rod to match the river and how to fish, so I have some rods which have different lengths and characteristics.

Basically, I use 4.0-4.5m with 5-8m line for the wide river, 3.2-4.0m with 3-5m line for the narrow river.

I like medium-slow taper (6:4) rods, but catching the fish is sometimes difficult for the river with many obstacles such as trees or big rocks. In such a river, I use fast taper (7:3) rods.

 

It is good to have a light weight, but it is a trade-off with strength.

I think it is important that the rod has the character of “Nebari”. It is difficult to explain “Nebari” even in Japanese. It bends well but does not break, keeping enough power at the bat part. It makes fighting easy with a big fish. It might be  “the rod which has enough strength of the bat, and moderate stiffness and elasticity”. Is it the proper expression? I don’t confident.

Some information is obtained from the fishing rod catalog or other fisher’s evaluation. However, I can't judge whether it fits for me unless I get it and actually use it in the river. So, I tried many rods, not only new ones but many used ones. Also I often borrowed rods from my friends which I do not have and checked them.

I sold the rods I didn't like to a second-hand store and used the money to buy the next one. What I have now is their survival. I have not counted how many, there must be more than 15.

Adam Trahan: I have two rods that are a little different, the Karasu by Go Ishii, Paul Gaskell and John Pearson. I really like them, the 4m is an extremely accurate rod. My little Zerosum is probably my favorite tenkara rod. It is so light and has a great cast. I’ve been asked once, “what is my favorite rod?” and my answer was my Nissin Tenkara Mini 3.6m. I don’t even use it all that much compared to my other rods. It is my favorite because it goes with me everywhere and I really like to travel and it’s always in my bag. That makes it my favorite.

“Do you have a favorite tenkara rod and why?”

Kazuo Kurahashi: I often use Karasu and Zerosum, they are both good.

Recently I have been using Nissin “ROYAL STAGE TENKARA 6:4” 4.0m. It is not expensive but well balanced and easy to use. I also use Daiwa “EXPERT TENKARA L LL45M” 4.0-4.5m zoom. It is a little bit heavy, but I like it as a 4.5m class tenkara rod.

 I want to try some other rods, but they are not in the fishing tackle store in my neighborhood. If I have a chance, I would like to check it out at events such as fishing shows.

Adam Trahan: There is more to tenkara than just the rod. My favorite other pieces of kit are all custom made. I have some wooden boxes made by friends that all have a story including the little box you made me.

“Can you tell us about crafting your kebari boxes? How did you start doing it and why?”

Kazuo Kurahashi: I tried a lot of boxes but there is no one that really suits me. I didn't even know what the best fly box for me was. Then I thought about making various boxes myself and trying them out.

I chose Hinoki (Japanese cypress) as the material. Hinoki is a light, tough, beautiful, inexpensive and practical material. In Japan, it has been used for building materials and furniture for a long time. I thought it would match my tenkara spirit, and the biggest reason is, it was easy to get.

At first, I referred to the existing fly boxes and books. I had to get some new tools, but there was nothing technically difficult about woodworking. All that was important was to work carefully. However, painting was difficult. I have made various experiments and prototypes up to the current method. It is so-so, not so bad, but the goal is still ahead…

Adam Trahan: I used to make bamboo fly rods. I can really appreciate the precise work that you do. My rods where measured in thousands of an inch, the pieces had to be nearly perfect in order to fit so precisely. Your boxes are well made, the spools are thought out and crafted well too. I appreciate your work.

I have a fly rod that is 12 years old now. It is a beautiful piece that at one point, 18 different pieces of wood meet, there is no gap. I had to draw all those pieces of balsa, purpleheart and tonking cane together, no easy feat but it’s done and I was taught by many great teachers.

“Can you tell us about one of your favorite things that you have made? What is the story behind it? Are you self taught?”

Kazuo Kurahashi: I do not have such a great thing like your bamboo fly rods!

There was a small rod maker near my town where I used to live, which made bait rods for small Ayu (sweetfish). I got the rod and attached a cork grip to it and modified it a little for tenkara.

The length is 4m, it is very light but strong with good Nebari. Vibration stops quickly, and the design is simple. I really like it and have been using it for over 20 years.

The wooden fly box which I am using now is one of my favorites. I made it about 5 years ago. I repainted the box when it was damaged and kept on using it until now.

The longer you use the wooden fly box, the more it tastes. Scratches, dents and discoloration are the memory of fishing. By layering it with paint, it has a deeper taste, it becomes one and only. It is fun unique to woodwork, not plastic.

Adam Trahan: My choices in gear changes however, I still find value in the equipment that I used and replaced. My kit, which is all the equipment that I use when I am fishing and hiking has evolved from my own experiences before going to Japan and meeting with you guys to understanding very focused equipment such as your community uses. When we went fishing together, Keiichi san told me that the area he chose for us was not too tough. I agree after doing it and more importantly, seeing the terrain that you guys call difficult in your media. Your sawanobori boots for instance, they are perfect for the steep streams and climbing then in Japan. There are only a few places here that they are good for. Yes, you can use them but there are better suited boots for the approach and wet wading in our mountainous streams.

What I’m saying is that I get my influence from Japanese equipment and your tenkara anglers but I apply my own experiences in my area and choose my equipment for the terrain here.

I think that’s best.

As far as the fishing equipment goes, it’s basically the same. 

Here in America, we have rod companies that are offering rods for tenkara. These companies are guided by people that have never been to Japan to understand tenkara there.

I think this is ok but, these companies are not the equipment that I choose. Many of them are only a few years old. They do not have the luxury of experience, designing, the research and development and final product in comparison with Japanese rod companies. So I choose Japanese rods because of the long history.

“What do you think about “new tenkara equipment” in comparison to the long history of tenkara equipment that has been developed in Japan?”

Kazuo Kurahashi: One Kebari rod (not yet called "Tenkara") is listed in a 40-year-old fishing gear maker’s catalog. Although it is made of carbon, its decoration was very beautiful with a strong awareness of traditional crafts. Not limited to tenkara, many of the high-class rods at that time had the beauty of traditional crafts.

The decoration of current rods is generally simpler than those. Some seem cool, but many look cheap. Why? There may be various reasons. Cost reduction, productivity and profitability, changes in what users like, etc. There may have been a manufacturer's direction to sell practical tools at a practical price.

Anyway, fishing gear with traditional craft beauty is now only luxury goods made by some well-established craftsmen. Bamboo rod is one of them.

As an aside, Bamboo rods were familiar to me in my childhood. My first rod was just cutting bamboo from the back mountain and removing the branches. The three-piece bamboo rod was sold everywhere for about 500 yen. Of course, they were cheap, far from the luxury of traditional crafts, but they were good for children's play. Over time, they have been replaced by glass rods and are now almost gone. I sometimes miss it.

Adam Trahan: Sebata san gave me a rod, an old rod from Sakura. It sits in my rod rack and I will take it out now and then and fish it. I like it very much and the fact that he gave it to me means a lot to me. I use a modern rod for my every day fishing. 

“What do you think about the evolution of tenkara equipment?”

Kazuo Kurahashi: Since the appearance of tenkara with the fluorocarbon level line, various manufacturers have developed and released various lines with good visibility and various rods suitable for casting light lines. They made tenkara easier and became a major factor in today's tenkara epidemic.

Now, some people use traditional yarned taper lines, and some take in fly fishing techniques such as dry fly and nymphing. There are more choices for tenkara styles and gears compared to the past,.

The diversification of tenkara will continue, and the tools will evolve along with it. However, I don't think the tenkara system will get complicated. Because the biggest fascination of tenkara is “Simplicity”.

Recently, the grip of the tenkara rod is shifting from cork to EVA. This is because of consideration for the depletion of natural cork resources. I don't know if EVA is suitable, but anyway, there are such problems now.

Manufacturers should consider the impact on the natural environment more than ever, and it is the same for anglers who use the gears they made.

Adam Trahan: Our fishing media here in North America really does not cover tenkara. It may make mention as a tool for a certain type of water. The media here does not know tenkara like you do or like travelling fishermen like myself that seek out groups of anglers in Japan. 

I think our media rarely helps the innovators or the first people to import new ideas. By design, they want to market what they know, they take the safe approach. Even our cutting edge and outspoken media rarely takes a chance on tenkara and reports on it as it should be.

We have a project here, “Tenkara Angler” magazine. They crowd source their material and it is basically a volunteer project. I’ve contributed to it however, it is not the source of material that I want to focus on. 

In Japan, you have a couple of magazines that feature tenkara.

“Can you describe them and what do you think of these magazines?”

Kazuo Kurahashi: I often read mountain stream and headwater fishing magazines, I like them.

The article on fishing trips introduces not only fishing, but also river scenery, river trekking, and camping. It makes me feel strongly about mountain streams whenever I read it.

Introductions of gears give me new information, it is helpful. Articles on wild fish, insects and animals and plants around the mountain stream give me knowledge. It is often thought-provoking about the lives and history of people living in the streams and mountains, and about the river environment. Of course, I love articles about traditional crafts like bamboo rods.

Tenkara articles have been increased. Tenkara masters often appear on them. I also often see special articles for beginners, it will be useful for those who are about to start tenkara.

Adam Trahan: I like Japanese Headwaters magazine. I stopped buying it though, I still read it when I get a chance. I have a friend that I taught tenkara to. His family lives in Tokyo so he buys it and Japanese Whisky! When he comes back to Arizona, we drink Hibiki and look at Headwaters together!

When we visited together at Tadami Bansho, we partied and drank and eat and talked, watched videos of Sebata san. It was a super fun time. I think you guys like to party with travelling visitors.

Sebata san travelled to America and made a video fishing the great Western rivers. It is a neat video and long before tenkara was popular in America.

“Do you ever want to fish in America?” 

Kazuo Kurahashi: Of course, yes. I want to see various trout in various rivers. I also want to see my friends. It doesn't have to be tenkara! lol

Adam Trahan: I want you to know, you are welcome in my home and I would be happy to take you around however, I live far away from good fishing. 2 - 4 hours to get to good water, 8 - 10 hours to some of the best fishing areas in the mountains or rivers.

“How far are your favorite waters from your home?”

Kazuo Kurahashi: It is the same for me.

It takes about 3.5 hours to the river I usually go, and at least 8-10 hours where I really want to go. If possible, I would like to go fishing and camping for more than a week.

Adam Trahan: I like my friends in Japan. I know the tenkara community is very small there. It is small here in America but I think there are a lot more people here that do it in comparison. Most of the tenkara anglers here do other types of fishing. We have one vendor that helps the enthusiasm for Japanese style lure fishing. I’ve done a little of that type of fishing 40 years ago and although it is very productive, I have found what I enjoy. Really, that’s what it’s all about for me, what I like and I enjoy tenkara. 

“Do you have any fishing friends, acquaintances outside of Japan?”

Kazuo Kurahashi: Yes, I have some friends in the US, UK, Italy and France. (I think you know most of them.) They came all the way to Japan and fished tenkara with me. I still have connections and sometimes communicate with them via SNS.

Adam Trahan: I follow a few English tenkara fishermen. They also do some Japanese style lure fishing. There are some Italian fishermen that do “Valsesiana” type fishing which is very much like tenkara.

“Is there any other type of fishing outside of Japan that you like or want to do?"

Kazuo Kurahashi: I have heard about fishing in Valsesia too. It is very interesting that there is the same fishing method in Japan far away. I think their river and trout must have something similar.

There should be other rivers suitable for tenkara in various parts of the world. I want to try tenkara in such a river, and I want to see fish there.

Adam Trahan: Kura san, I really appreciate you, I like your craft, what you do.

"Is there anything you want to say before we go?"

Kazuo Kurahashi: Catching fish is not the only way to enjoy tenkara.

Tenkara is compact with few gears, so it is suitable for enjoying in combination with various activities, river and mountain trekking, camping, driving, etc. It is also fun to improve and customize the gears yourself to suit your style. I'm really looking forward to something interesting being created through it.

Finally, please remember the respect for the natural environment and the fish that give us a lot of joy. Take care of your safety, and let’s enjoy tenkara.