My Best Streams - Traditional Japanese Fly Tenkara 1

Traditional Japanese Fly Tenkara 1
There are flies which I got when I went fishing various places in Gifu pref.

The Japanese fly fishing "Tenkara" originated in mountain village and it has handed down as a way of occupational fishing from olden times. They consist of about 3.3m (11ft.) long fishing rod, fixed taper line, tippet and of course Tenkara Fly. Tenkara Fly has various patterns, local color in various areas. I think the mountain streams in Japan have varied streams and rapid streams, that's why Tenkara fly is very simple and basically wet fly pattern, then it isn't restricted how to use the flies, unlike the western typed flies.

No one knows for certain why it's called tenkara. Some say it's because tenkara means "from the sky", suggestive of the way the flies are dapped into the water from above.
Others say it came from the word "Tengara", which is an entirely different method of fishing for Ayu (sweet fish), it was introduced to Japan from China.
Still others say it's derived from a game in which children hop around on one leg inside a circle drawn on the ground and Tenkara fishermen hop from rock to other rock in the streams, it's like the children's game "Ken-Ken". It's pronounced differently in various regional dialects, including Chingara, Shinkara and Tsunkara. I prefer this theory, because the playfulness appeals to me.

Hida Takayama area

The left fly has black hackle, body of black wool yarn. The other flies are said "Sakasakebari" in Japanese. There flies are tied in reverse hackle. These have hackle of Japanese hen pheasant's breast feather, body of peacock herl and silk thread. The hook doesn't have eye so we must make eye by yarn. ( 1987 )

Hida Shokawa area

These have brown hackle or ginger hackle, body of peacock herl or red silk thread. ( 1982 )


Hida Shokawa area These all have hackle of pheasant's feather, body of cotton of flowering fern and peacock herl. ( 1983 )

Okumino Itoshiro area

This fly have body of peacock herl and hackle of webb. Webb is like thin downy hair that is under hackle and it is apt to hold water. So it is not used for dry fly. I don't know western style flies that were tied with webb. I think it is very rare fly.
(Sources of reference: Guide of Fly Fishing The Whole Earth Publications Co.,Ltd. 1998)

Mino Gujo area

These have black hackle (Middle fly has grizzly hackle), body of peacock herl or fur or wool yarn. These flies have tails and maybe it is influenced by the western typed flies. ( 1987 )


Mino Gujo area These are "Sakasakebari" that has handed down to Mino Gujo area. These are flies that were remade by modern sense. These have neck hackle, body of silk thread. Eye is made by yellow mono-filament. The left fly is traditional fly that has body of cotton of flowering fern that was tied by myself. ( 1997 )