In the spring of 2023, an email landed in my Tenkara Angler inbox with a simple ask. A man named Hiroyuki Ishii, (Hiro), was writing from Japan. He’d been doing research on tenkara and had discovered, somewhat to his own surprise, that the discipline had taken off in America in a way it hadn’t back home. He wanted to come to America and understand why, so he could help preserve and promote tenkara culture in Japan.
He found me through Google. Of all the people Google could have served up, it gave him me. That’s kind of wild.
In his own words: “Neither I nor anyone I knew was connected to anyone doing tenkara fishing in America, so I desperately wanted to get to know someone. I found Michael through a Google search and sent him an email. That’s how it all started. I’m truly happy that that little bit of courage I showed back then has now led to such a great friendship.”
It takes a bit of a leap of faith do that. To compose a cold email in a second language, hit send, and just see what happens. No mutual connection to smooth the introduction. He wanted to fish with some strangers on the other side of the planet and decided the only way to make that happen was to ask.
I’m so glad I didn’t delete that email.
Before Tenkara
Hiro doesn’t live in the mountains. He lives in Kanagawa Prefecture, right outside of Tokyo, with his wife and their Shiba Inu. And before he ever picked up a tenkara rod, he spent roughly 30 years fishing the sea. Shore fishing, mostly. Japanese sea bass, black sea bream. Hiro still enjoys that today, “these fish are quite difficult to catch, and I enjoy considering various factors such as the sea conditions while fishing.” He even lived on a remote island for a stretch.
He came to tenkara only about four years ago. The way it happened was interesting; He was talking with people in Nikko City through his work, and learned that tenkara had deep roots in the mountain communities there, and got curious.
“I was drawn to the intense focus in the eyes of the people doing tenkara fishing,” he says, “and the way they were one with nature using only very simple equipment.”
Home Water
Hiro’s “home water” is the Kinugawa River basin in Nikko City. He’s been fishing it long enough to know it well and humble enough to admit it still gets the better of him regularly. “Although it’s my home waters, the conditions are always different, and I always find it challenging. That’s precisely why I believe it’s a field where I can enjoy tenkara fishing for a long time.”
The main targets are rainbow trout, iwana, and yamame. Of those, iwana are the one he talks about with real affection. In Japan, native char live in the headwaters, which means you’ve got to earn them through long, rugged hikes before you even get to fish.
Hiro is also serious about conservation. He talks about wanting to support efforts to protect the Kinugawa basin so it’s still worth fishing generations from now. I respect that.
On the Water
Gear-wise, Hiro is a Daiwa guy, a preference that carries over from his saltwater days. He likes longer rods and level line, and has been steadily simplifying over the years.
“In the past, I used to consider many possibilities and bring a lot of different things,” he says, “but now I have fewer items and only bring a carefully selected set to the fishing spot.”
He ties his own flies, though he admits the results are mixed. “I’m not very good at it, but with tenkara fishing, even poorly made flies can catch fish, which is great.” His go-to pattern has a peacock herl body with a bead. Why? Because, “I like sparkly things.”
Me too, Hiro.
Hiro’s Take on Tenkara in Japan
One of the more interesting things Hiro shared is how tenkara is still perceived in Japan. River fishing there carries a bit of an image problem: it’s seen as old-fashioned, something for an older generation. Hiro thinks that’s wrong.
“In reality, it’s a very simple and cool form of fishing, and you can even be stylish about it. I really hope that young people and women will also enjoy it.”
He also has a perspective on how fishing culture differs between Japan and the West that I didn’t really think much about prior. In the West, fishing is generally framed as sport. In Japan, it’s historically been understood as a form of hunting, with a closer relationship to what happens after the fish comes to hand. Hiro doesn’t push one view over the other, but he invites international anglers to at least try the Japanese perspective, specifically the experience of grilling a fish you caught yourself.
“That alone will be a wonderful experience of Japanese culture.”
After trying freshly caught and grilled fish in Nikko recently, I know he’s right about that.
Colorado
If you’ve read the story of the Colorado weekend we shared back in 2023, you know how things started. Hiro, Aki, and Takashi flew to the United States, we met in Boulder, drove up to Estes Park, fished Rocky Mountain National Park in October cold, hit Deckers on the way out, and somehow covered all of that across three days without anyone speaking the other’s language very well. The fishing wasn’t always great, but the company was awesome.
What I didn’t fully appreciate until later was what Hiro was actually looking to achieve on that trip. He came to America specifically to understand why tenkara had landed here the way it had. His original motivation in reaching out was, in his words, to “learn from America, the country that first recognized the beauty of tenkara fishing, in order to spread its appeal in Japan.” He arrived with genuine curiosity about us, which is not something I’d expected when I replied to that initial email.
It also created new friendships, ones that are even stronger today.
As for Nikko
As we begin to release content from our recent trip to Japan I felt it necessary to acknowledge how central Hiro was to making that trip happen, as you’ll obviously be hearing a lot more about him in future entries.
In the meantime, if you want to connect with him directly, whether to ask about fishing or to learn more about tenkara experiences in the Nikko region, you can reach him at info@nikko-tenkara.com or visit nikko-tenkara.com. Believe me, he’s quite approachable. 🙂
Do you have a story to tell? A photo to share? A fly recipe that’s too good to keep secret? If you would like to contribute content to Tenkara Angler, click HERE for more details.
Discover more from Tenkara Angler
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
Hiro-san! Genki desu? Great article!