Traditional Japanese Fly Tenkara 3 |
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| There are flies I got at various places or tied by myself. It is interesting that tenkara fly has local color. |
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Oze area
Flies of Mr. Kosaku Hirano.
Oze is the basin of highlands across three prefectures of Fukushima Prefecture, Niigata Prefecture, and Gunma Prefecture
and is the headstream area in the maximum branch Tadamigawa river in Aganogawa river waterway.
To serve it to the guest at the mountain lodge "Hiuchi-goya" of Ozegahara that his father-in-law had built, Mr. Kosaku Hirano were doing the iwana fishing.
Oze was specified before long to the special natural treasure.
They refrained from it after all though they were permitted to fish there.
The hook was Kitsune-gata.
The hackle was whitish rooster.
The body was tied by silk thread or peacock herl.
The eye was not attached.
The rod length was 4.5m.
The tippet was 30cm or so.
These are flies that I reproduced.
(Sources of reference: Iwana Ⅲ Sequel Professional Fisherman in Headstream edited by Shunji Shimura Hakujitsusha 1990) |
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Maenikko Ashio area
We recall the matter of the poisoning of copper from the word "Ashio".
When limiting it to Ashio, Watarasegawa river in the base of Bizentateyama and Koshingawa river at downstream of Ginzandaira were influenced by it.
Matsukigawa river of the headstream went to ruin because of the collapse of Mae-Nikko mountain range that depends on the smoke pollution and the conflagration.
Because plowing a field was the main agriculture in the mountainous area of steep slope, neither the cow nor the horse were needed for it.
So fly fishing that do not use furled tapered line was devised by Mr. Kashiichi Yagisawa of Ashio Kakemizu.
Copper wire was used from backing to finish to put weight to the fly because furled tapered line was not used.
The hook was Sodegata No.11. The hackle was Nagoya cochin (chickens). The body was tied by cotton of flowering fern or peacock herl.
The rod length was 3m.
The line was 4.2m in total length, the nylon line No.2 (8lbs.).
These are flies that I reproduced.
(Sources of reference: Mountain fishing by Fujio Suzuno Rural Culture Association Japan 1993) |
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Nikko area
Besides Gorocho flies, there are Nikko flies that were tied by Japanese bantam hackle and water shrew fur.
They are called "Kingoma" and "Gingoma".
Japanese bantam was specified for the natural monument in 1941.
And the persons who captures water shrew (It is specified for the Ministry of the Environment red list in Kyushu region.) has decreased.
All became hard-to-find materials now.
Left 2 flies are tied by water shrew fur and by substitut -ing golden badger hackle or silver badger hackle.
The third fly from the left is tied by water shrew fur that mixed cotton of flowering fern and by substituting grizzly hackle.
Flies that were tied by the water shrew fur are attractive for the fishers to say nothing of the trout
because the bubble taken between a beautiful, smooth furs reflects the light and they seem to shine to the silver color in the water.
In the book "Trout fishing" of Hiroki Meguro, there is a line with "Besides Gorocho flies, Beat with Chong-Chong the water surface with fly that was tied by hackle of red-center, black-tip."
Right fly is reproduction of it.
(Sources of reference: Web page Nikko Trout Fishing Laboratory (Daiyagawa river Fishing capture site), Trout fishing Supplement Iwana, Yamame by Hiroki Meguro Sugiyama publishing 1935, Reprint Ateneshobo 1979)
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Koshu Kuromori area
Koshu Kuromori fly has been handed down on area in a traffic strategic location where Yamanashi is connected with Nagano from of old.
In "Tenkara Club vol.3", Goro Fujiwara expert said that the branch of straight dry Japanese larch of 12 feet or more in length was used for the rod,
and it was casted up and down.
The upper photos are the valuable flies that were tied by the late Masanori Togawa expert
who was the kingpin of traditional tenkara fishing.
I got them from Togawa expert's wife.
Each flies of black or white or brown were used properly by the river and time.
The Kuromori flies are tied to the heavy hook of the wide gape,
and the bodies are thickish and the color not so used in other flies are used.
I heard that there are few people who hand down the kuromori fly fishing now.
It is really regrettable.
The under photos are flies that I tied by the colors of triple hook flies for beginner that were designed by Togawa expert,
and commercial flies of blue and yellow body that appeared in the book.
(Sources of reference: Tenkara club vol.3 Ah! Koshu Kuromori Fly by Shigeru Wakabayashi Kosaido Publishing 2002) |
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Zaou Togatta area
This is "Togatta fly" that Hunter of the south Zaou hot spring village has handed down.
The skin of the stalk when pheasant and copper pheasant's rectrixes are picked off is used as wing.
And it is tied to the hook for sea perch fishing with a golden yellow silk thread trebl places.
It seems to look like the fishing of fluttering caddis of flyfishing.
This is unparalleled fly invented by the environment of the Sumikawa River where a lot of caddisflies (Stenopsyche japonica) live, and fisherman's wisdoms.
It is said that the person who is able to make this fly became very few, too now.
The fly of image was tied by myself referring to a detailed introduction of web page "Fu-un western style flyfisher notebook".
(Sources of reference: Web page Fu-un western style flyfisher notebook, Yoshio's road that came at one time Miyagi T.V. 2006) |
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Mutsu Morioka area
Traditional flies in Morioka Iwate prefecture.
Now, we can get those flies as traditional craft work that is kept by craftsmen.
Those flies are like Tenkara but the rig is unique.
It is generally used 5.4m (18ft.) rod.
It has line and leader as long as rod, float that is made of angelica tree at the tip of the leader, fly that has 40cm (16in.) tippet in front of the float.
And four flies that has very short tippet are tied at intervals of 30 or 40cm (12-16in.) above the float.
After casting to the other side, it float flies down a river with line tight.
It is called "Nagashi-tsuri".
The flies of the upper row and the left under were tied by Mr. Zenji Sakurai.
The 3 flies from the right of the under were tied by Shunji Uchida.
(Sources of reference: Mountain fishing "Trout and person's natural histories" by Fujio Suzuno Rural Culture Association 1993,
Quiet place Fishing of Iwate Fishing in southern part Morioka fly by Shou Murata Yama-Kei Publishers Co., Ltd. 1988) |
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Okushinano Akiyamago area
These are traditional flies of Akiyamago village that is located on the border of Nagano and Niigata prefecture.
These are very simple flies because those are made of two silk thread of red and black,
brown hackle with black stem, hook of Gamakatsu Seigo 7 - 9.
And these do not use even head cement.
Eye is made by silk thread that was inserted a paper string to keep the eye hole.
Body is made by cuting of hackle.
The right fly is variation with grizzly hackle.
These are flies of late Mr. Shigeo Yamada who is the last occupational fisherman in Akiyama-go village.
Now, Mr. Kenzo Hayashi is sticking to fishing with this fly.
The lower 2 variations are introduced on the web page "Fu-un western style flyfisher notebook" though the prototype is the same.
These are the flies of the former storekeeper of fishing tackle shop and the landlord of a guesthouse "Yuzansou".
The images are flies that I tied and referring to the above-mentioned introduction.
(Sources of reference: Tenkara club vol.2 "Akiyama fly" of Kenzo Hayashi by Daichi Uesugi Kosaido Publishing 2001, Web page Fu-un western style flyfisher notebook) |
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Nikko area
Nikko flies (Gorocho flies) were modeled after Gorocho (Stenopsyche japonica) because many Gorocho lived in Yugawa river of Nikko.
These were ordered to Hardy by someone of diplomats or Tokyo Angling club's members
that they had enjoyed trout fishing in Yugawa river and Marunuma lake in the beginning of Showa era or the late Meiji era.
These flies were registered to Hardy and records remain even now.
These have hackle of Japanese hen pheasant's breast feather, body of cotton of flowering fern.
In the book "Trout fishing" of Hiroki Meguro, Nikko flies are shown from No.1 to No.8.
But the details cannot be understood because illustrations are indistinct and it is primitive.
Especially, Nikko No.7 is the fern wing type but the difference point with No.2 cannot be understood.
(Sources of reference: Separate volume No.22 Fishing Introduction Fly fishing of Japan Sanpou Publishing 1981,
Trout fishing Supplement Iwana, Yamame by Hiroki Meguro Sugiyama publishing 1935, Reprint Ateneshobo 1979) |
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