Who doesn’t like to look at gear catalogs? Even though most of us picked up tenkara for reasons of “simplicity”, it’s hard to resist the urge to check out new gear upon release.
Over the weekend I went down the rabbit hole of going to Nissin’s website. Nissin is one of my favorite brands of Japanese tenkara rods, so I figured I’d poke around a little bit. Here’s the Nissin tenkara page. And don’t forget to utilize the language translator at the top of the page!
Among the things you can find there is not only a full website dedicated to fishing tackle, but also catalog downloads. If you’d like to check out what they have to offer, including rods and accessories, I’ve embedded the section of the 2020-21 Nissin catalog that focuses on tenkara below.
Additionally, on the catalog download page they actually have a tenkara-specific catalog that’s written in English. However, once you peek inside you’ll note it’s a bit outdated (2015). That said, it’s still fun to look at so I also embedded it below.
I like how the “new” Oni Zerosum Tenkara Honryu Rods are cloaked in secrecy with a “Coming Soon” label. There’s also a nice profiles on both Masami Sakakibara and Hiromichi Fuji on the very last page.
In any event, I hope you like poking around the Nissin tenkara catalog as much as I did. Should this pique your interest enough to where you’d want to buy one of these rods, TenkaraBum or Tenkara-ya would probably be the best options.
Oh, and if you’re a Nissin fan like me, let me know what your favorite Nissin rod(s) are in the comments below. My personal favorite is the Royal Stage 6:4 320.
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Nissin Oni Zerosum 395 for me. Constantly impressed with the size of the fish it can handle.
Nice choice, I think that may be my next rod. Was going to get one a little bit before heading out to the Oni School this year. Or go the whole other end of the spectrum and try a Suntech Kurenai for the littles.
Big Nissin fanboy here too. For small streams a Zerosum 320 6:4. My 4m rod is a Royal Stage 6:4 because it’s actually a little softer than the Zerosum version, and I like the longer handle for my 4m rod. For big rivers it’s the Yuuyama ZX 2 Way 450. My loaner is a Royal Stage 360 7:3 because it’s sort of a great all purpose beginner rod.
You’ve got quite the Nissin collection! I’m not familiar with the Yuuyama ZX 450, I’ll have to look that one up, sounds like a very capable Honryu rod.
Exactly. It was the one I could cast with one hand. Bought it in Tokyo after showing the salesman a picture of the main Truckee River. It was his recommendation, then he wrapped the grip with tennis racquet tape saying (roughly) big stream, fast water, strong fish.
I have a Nissin pro spec two way that’s really nice. It’s my first made in Japan tenkara rod. The royal stage in my current dream rod. I love the appearance and color way. I will eventually buy one. IG @noreelflyfishing