The 2017 Spring issue of Keiryū Magazine was released January 19th.
It is a Various Colors of Tenkara issue. The down sides are that shipping cost is 75% of the price of the magazine, and most of us can not read most of it except making out story titles, picture captions, and a few phrases here and there. But the pictures and diagrams are always very good.
I am not certain I could read the bold kanji on the front cover accurately, but this is what I think was written. そつと自由に毛鉤釣り [ Tactful & Free Kebari Fishing]. But maybe this was the title そっと自由に毛鉤釣り.
Yoshidakebari used this description, which is maybe more accurate - もっと自由に、毛鉤釣り [ More Freedom, Kebari Fishing, or More Freely, Kebari Fishing] 十人十色テンカラのいいとこどり [ Ten People Ten Colors (aka various) Tenkara’s Good Points, or いいとこ取り[Taking Good Points] 源流夜話 Head Water Night Talks.
The rest of the description of contents is -
despite being a simple tool tenkara has various styles. Level Line, Taper Line, and Fly Lines are discussed. Along with a review of lines available. Along with the different styles of 石垣尚男さん [Ishigaki Hisao-san], 吉田孝さん [Yoshida Takashi-san], 倉上亘さん [Kuragami Wataru-san], & 瀬畑雄三さん [Sebata Yūzō-san]
Former members from Tenkara-Fisher may recall that last fall Adam Trahan and Adam Klags went to Japan and mentioned that pictures of their tenkara camping trip were taken by a professional photographer, Maruyama Tsuyoshi-san [ 丸山 剛さん] I think, and the pictures would be in a future issue. But I could not determine if they are in this issue. 丸山 剛さん is also the author of the book, ひょいっと源流釣り, Hyoi’ and Headwaters Fishing. [ ? Beautiful Headwaters Fishing ?]
According to the article on this Keiryu magazine, the oldest article in the U.S., which introduced Japanese Tenkara was on the magazine named “Forest and Stream”, in 1889. So interesting!
Just out of curiosity, was it “Forest and Stream”? Or was it “Field and Stream”? If it was the latter that would be very interesting because that magazine want started until 1895.
I see now! Forest and Stream was a magazine from 1873 to 1930, so that makes complete sense. I wonder which issue it was listed in? Some of those old ones can still be found online.
I’ve never gotten one of these yet, I may have to do so.
The article was on “Forest and Stream” Feb 18th, 1899.
Mr.J.O. Averill, who lived in Japan at the end of 19th century, send a letter for the editor of Forest and Stream.
The article depends on the letter from Mr.Averill.
In “Keiryu” magazine l can read it in Japanese though, the article in English is not there.
I hope that this information would be helpful for you.
I have been trying to figure out a correct translation. The invoice for the book gave the title as Hyoi’ and Headwaters Fishing. But I was not sure if the “と, to” character should be translated as “and”.
Sometimes it would translate as Hanging Out Headwaters Fishing. Doing a google search with ひょいっと turned up other phrases with the same word, but all of them had completely different translations.
One search found a picture of a sign at a trail head with the word ひょいっと on the sign. I thought maybe it is a place, with headwaters.
Then last evening this phrase 丸山 剛 (著) ひょいっと源流釣り gave me two translations.
Maruyama Tsuyoshi (Author) Beautiful Origin Fishing
Tsuyoshi Maruyama (Author) Hyoi’ and headwaters fishing.
However, one kotobank query did list: my body is light, to do things with a light condition, jump over the stream, expect to get on a journey. Among other suggestions. So - going lightly without heavy baggage - fits the content of the book. Which has recommendations of camping gear and fishing gear to take. How to set up camping tarps, and recommendations for bait fishing and tenkara fishing.
I also found an “izakaya” restaurant with the name ヒョイット 鉄板居酒屋 hyoitto , which confused the translation even more.
Yes that is interesting. I do not think I recall hearing of that before.
I can not recall the details but Chris Stewart once posted something about some people from Japan giving a tenkara rod to some government official. I don’t recall if they were diplomats or business men, or if the gift was given to someone in state government or federal government. But if I recall correctly it was sometime in the 1950s or 1960s. However, it has been a while since I read the story. I might be recalling the story with a lot of errors.
btw - did you notice if this issue has the pictures of the 2 Adams from America who were taken headwaters fishing last fall? Thanks, D.
Japanese onomatopoeic or mimetic words are always difficult to translate into English.
Hyoitto ひょいっと is one of them.
If I were a translator of the book, I would name the book “Take it easy, Genryu fishing”. However I’m not a professional translator.
Anyway Japanese onomatopoeic or mimetic words are difficult and it depends on the situations what they mean.
Plz feel free to ask me if you meet the difficult Japanese.
I will do my best.
Thank you. A couple months ago I found a blog post about head waters fishing. Wherein he wrote that he would cast the kebari to a certain spot - then chonchon (ちょんちょん). What the heck is that? Eventually I figured out it is an onomatopoeic word, and what was meant was pulsing the kebari or sasoi (誘い). Any repetitive act really.
There are several onomatopoeic words on the NHK website. Some with examples of how they can have a broader meaning, depending on context. Chonchon (ちょんちょん) I would guess could also mean to tap someone on their shoulder to gain their attention. However, I did not expect to find that Hyoitto ひょいっと is an onomatopoeic word.
At the “Japan Fishing Show 2017” Fifteen people will be presented a set of 4 kebari tied by : Sebata Yūzō-san, Ishigaki Hisao-san, Kuragami Wataru-san, Yoshida Takashi-san. I believe the kebari from top to bottom match the same order as the names ;
I wonder if Mr. Averill was really describing Tenkara fishing or some other form of fly fishing?
I think it may have been something different - though quite similar in method and gear. I think that is possible for several reasons. First, Mr Averill wrote that at that time they were not permitted to travel more than 25 miles from Kyoto to go hunting. So they went fishing. This may have prevented him from seeing Tenkara as practiced on mountain streams. Though maybe they were permitted to travel farther than 25 miles, only restricted from taking firearms more than 25 miles. Secondly, he describes the rods as having a 6 ~ 8 foot handle section attached to 10 ~ 13 foot piece of bamboo, with a very flexible tip. Making a rod of 16 ~ 18 feet in length. Which is longer than the length of most old tenkara rods I have seen described from that time. Not really different from how Tenkara rods were made in late 19th into early 20th century. Except most Tenkara rods of that era were shorter. Generally around 11 ~ 14 feet used on mountain streams. However, maybe Mr. Averill saw a style that was used on main stream fishing. The local color of kebari fishing.
If you watch the video, Fishing Café “Tenkara with Hisao Ishigaki”, near the end of the video where he speculates about the origin of the name Tenkara. He believes Tenkara became a common name sometime in the 1920s. And may have acquired the name from two types of popular fishing methods at that time, and used side by side on the streams. One, foul hooking Ayu, called Tengara. The other a fly fishing method, that no one knows what it was called. But Dr. Ishigaki thinks that the name Tenkara may have evolved as a name to distinguish the fly fishing method from the foul hooking method called Tengara. Possible because in Japanese the sounds of “ga” and “ka” are often interchanged due to Rendaku ( 連濁) - sequential voicing. And the written characters are similar. Ga (が) and Ka (か). It may have been this method of fly fishing that used 18 foot rods, and that was what Mr. Averill saw.
Also in the video Dr. Ishigaki visits the Omachi Alpine Museum, where they see the tenkara rods used by the Shokuryoshi, Sinaemon Toyama. His tenkara rod was fairly crudely made and it was only about 10 feet in length. They also look at the tenkara rod used by Sonehara. A Shokuryoshi from a later generation, his tenkara rod was more finely crafted. The length was not given, but it appeared to be about the same length. The the grip section of his tenkara rod instead of being made of bamboo, was made of wood, and appeared to be about 18 ~ 24 inches in length. The rest was made of two pieces of bamboo.
This was similar to the tenkara rod seen later in the video when Dr. Ishigaki visited Kazuyuki Yamada-san in Akiyama Township. His father was the last Shokuryoshi from that area. His uncles’ tenkara rod is seen hanging on the wall in the Yamada Inn. It too had a wooden handle, and was about 9 feet long. However, Kazuyuki-san stated his father used a longer rod. His father would leave the long single piece bamboo part of the rod hidden in crevices along side the streams he fished. Only bringing home the wooden grip section which he stated was about 3 feet long.
Anyway, I pick up something new every time I watch the Fishing Café “Tenkara with Hisao Ishigaki” video.
I assume most of the information in it is accurate. However, I believe one thing in it is not accurate. A minor point. And maybe only poorly stated. It says that Daniel became fascinated with tenkara after meeting Dr. Ishigaki at a seminar in the Catskills. But by that time Daniel had already started Tenkara USA several months earlier. Perhaps all they meant was that Daniel’s fascination increased after meeting Dr. Ishigaki there, and thereafter Dr. Ishigaki became his tenkara mentor.
One interesting thing in the video is when Kazuyuki Yamada-san demonstrates the tenkara fishing method he saw his father use. He used a heavier long stiff bait rod, which was said to be necessary to manipulate the fly when using a horse hair line. And that the trick is - when using a heavier rod, is there is a longer time lag when setting the hook. This allows the fish to fully take in the fly before setting the hook. As contrasted to people trying to set the hook to early when using a shorter lighter tenkara rod, and losing the fish. Tight lines, but not too tight.
Maybe Mr. Averill saw the Japanese fly fishermen have more success than others because they only had the fly on the water, and the 18 foot rods they used gave the fish more time to fully take in the fly, and not spit it out, before they set the hook.
Hmm, it’s a difficult problem.
It was actually Kebari fishing by Japanese way but I’m not sure it was Tenkara.
I agree with Dr.Ishigaki about the origin of the name of Tenkara. However the name of Tenkara got popular for anglers after 1950’s suddenly, because of some anglers’ magazines called it so.
Before 50’s, it depended on areas how the professional fishermen call the method of Japanese traditional fly fishing. Tenkara, Kebari, Ketataki(毛叩き) and so on. Still now the name of Tenkara is not so popular without the anglers actually.
So now I have no idea that the fly fishing method on the article should be called Tenkara or not.
Difficult…
What an interesting word, or interesting translation: Ketataki(毛叩き) : (hair tapping) , (hair slapping)
If I try to do a search with 毛叩き. Google prefers 毛ばたき, that mostly finds - long feather dusters.
And ばたき ( bataki) translates as - fluttering. Thus 毛ばたき hair fluttering. Similar to 毛針 (kebari) translating as Hair Needle. Feathered hook really.
There is even a kebataki website that sells feather duster.
There is a pdf document on the internet, a reprint of a newsletter, of an interview of Ishimaru Shotaro, in which he admits to his parents when he was a boy to snatching some feathers from a feather duster on the Buddhists alter to tie kebari with.
Anyway, the name Tenkara may have been around since the 1920s, only becoming more widely used in the 1950s due to an Angler’s magazine latching onto the name.
Probably the broader name for all types of native Japanese fly fishing methods would have been
和式毛鉤釣り方法 Japanese Style Fly Fishing Method. Or
渓流毛鉤釣り方法 Mountain Stream Fly Fishing Method.
It’s likely that different areas had their own nick name before the 1920s.
Just as where I live Morels (mushrooms) are called Molly Moochers. No one knows why, nor where & when the name originated. Other places have different nick names for Morels.
Anyway, just received an email confirming my order for the Spring Issue is being processed. Will probably be delivered in week or so.
