Test Your Japanese Tenkara Knowledge

Back in 2017, Adam Trahan published an article on Tenkara-Fisher that was written by his friend Keiichi Okushi. Keiichi-san is a tenkara angler that lives in Japan, and in the article he talks about the ecology of a trout stream in Japanese terms. 

Since many American tenkara anglers don’t understand the proper terms for stream ecology, and how they relate to tenkara, I post a link to Keiichi-san’s article. My thanks to both Adam and Keiichi for teaching us the proper nomenclature for the streams we love to fish, and how those terms define which method of fixed-line fishing we use.

Genryu, Keiryu, Honryu and Seiryu by Keiichi Okushi

What?! Genryu Tenkara? Keiryu tenkara? Honryu tenkara? Yes, those are the proper terms. Are you one of the anglers who thought keiryu was just a type of rod and honryu was, well, whatever it is? A quick reminder, genryu, keiryu and honryu are Japanese names for parts of a Japanese river system.

Now you know about parts of a Japanese river system, you can see that tenkara can be applied to each section of a typical river system. In headwaters, it’s called genryu tenkara. In tributary portions of mountain streams, it’s called keiryu tenkara. And when applied to the mainstream of the river, it’s called honryu tenkara. See, that’s pretty easy. 

So what is keiryu tenkara and honryu tenkara? Well, it’s easier (and safer) for me to point you to the Discover Tenkara website. They have a section in the website called “Tenkara Knowledge“. Every essay is worth reading and will fill your head with valuable (and reliable) knowledge on tenkara. 

So that addresses keiryu tenkara and honryu tenkara, but what about genryu tenkara? Well, there’s a section for that too!  Take a look and broaden your knowledge even further!

Another fun video demonstrates how to pronounce some common tenkara words. This video is provided by Tenkara USA, and is helpful for us non-Japanese speakers. Here it is:

See, don’t you feel empowered now?  Knowledge (truthful knowledge in particular) is power! Tenkara is more than just fishing with a tenkara rod. Tenkara may be (as some marketing claims) simple to learn, but it may take a lifetime to master. Pull back a layer on the tenkara onion and what will you find? More layers, with deeper knowledge to be learned!

Remember that you are now a tenkara ambassador, so help teach others what tenkara is. What, you don’t live near a trout-laden mountain stream? No worries! Fish your waters for their resident fish with your tenkara rod. That’s no crime. Get out there! The fish are waiting!

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