Ever order something online or in a catalog and kind of forget that you did?
I opened my mailbox last Thursday and was greeted by a very nice surprise.
Back in August, I impulsively ordered a few items from Japan. I saw them on an Instagram account curated by Izumi Hiroshima. The artwork that caught my eye all had a similar cartoonish fish theme, in this case portraying iwana & yamame on stickers and two different colored tenugui (bandanas/towels).
For those of you not familiar with tenugui, Tenkara USA sells their own version designed by Jeremy Shellhorn, and does a good job describing its various uses on their website.
Opening the mailbox was kind of like finding an early Christmas present. The illustrations look even better in person and I’m really excited about this little delivery of tenkara-congruent art. As for the planned use, I’ll probably slap one of the stickers on my car window and/or perhaps a metal tumbler, hang one tenugui in my office as a bit of art, and toss the other in my fishing pack. Figure the latter could serve many functions while out on the stream.
If you’re interested in products bearing Izumi Hiroshima’s art, I’d recommend you visit the Studio Omame Store for current availability. Izumi is very quick to respond to inquiries and can also communicate in English. My personal experience was a very positive one, and he was very up front about how long it might take to deliver. The subsequent surprise factor was a little unintended bonus!
To see more of Izumi Hiroshima’s portfolio of design work, you can go down the Instagram path like I did, or simply to the main Studio Omame website. Enjoy!
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