Mailing address (not a retail location): 1800 30th St., #208, Boulder, CO 80301
Tenkara is the Japanese method of fly-fishing, which uses only a rod, line and fly. Tenkara shines in mountain streams, where the long rod and light line provide the best possible fly presentation. Tenkara is also effective in a variety of waters, such as alpine lakes, or urban ponds for panfish and bass. Tenkara is the ideal setup for anyone looking for an intuitive and fun way to fly-fish, something to take along on a backpacking fishing trip or teaching kids the art of fly-fishing, without the complexities.
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After years of learning tenkara directly from the masters, Daniel's much anticipated book is finally shipping!
At 216 pages, this book will show you all you need to tenkara, and the stories in its pages will take you along Daniel's journey of learning tenkara.
Now shipping.
In tenkara–the book, Tenkara USA founder Daniel Galhardo shows just how simple fly-fishing can be. This book is a complete guide to the techniques, gear, history and philosophy of tenkara, the Japanese method of fly-fishing. It is also a manifesto on fly-fishing simplicity.
An angler picking up a tenkara rod for the first time will find this book’s concepts well laid out and intuitive. The experienced angler will appreciate the simpler approach to fly-fishing and the advanced techniques shared in the book.
tenkara – the book was designed to be interactive and take advantage of all the resources we have created over the years. Throughout the book, readers will find QR (quick read) codes that will give access to the videos, podcast episodes and other complementary information to the chapters at hand.
Watch a short video about tenkara – the book
The essence of tenkara is the reliance on little equipment. Only a tenkara rod, tenkara line and tippet, and tenkara flies are used. Any of our tenkara rods are well-suited for beginners, any of our tenkara lines can be paired with the rods we offer and any fly can be used. You can read reviews of tenkara rods for sale here. Shop for rods below.
We have embraced videos as a way to share the tenkara story and provide instructions for you to learn tenkara. Here are the videos we feel you must watch to learn tenkara quickly. Watch more videos here.
Mr. Yuzo Sebata is one of the most well-known tenkara anglers in Japan. He keeps his fly-fishing simple and enjoys backpacking in the mountains of Japan catching trout...
In episode 4 of our series, the “2-minute Guides to Tenkara”, Daniel Galhardo talks about tenkara flies and focuses on the reverse-hackle style tenkara fly,...
In the first episode of our new series, the “2-minute Guides to Tenkara”, Daniel Galhardo introduces viewers to the basic concepts behind the simple Japanese...
In the second episode of our new series, the “2-minute Guides to Tenkara”, Daniel Galhardo shows viewers how to use a tenkara rod. This video will show you...
Learn the “one knot” you need for tenkara. By using the fisherman’s knot in this video you can tie your tenkara line to your tenkara rod, tippet to the...
In this short video Daniel will introduce you to the 5 tenkara rods in the Tenkara USA lineup so you can choose the rod that best suits your needs. You can find more...
Tenkara is not all small fish. In this video we show some of the technique for landing large fish with tenkara and long lines...
Casting with tenkara is not difficult. In fact, we find it to be a very intuitive thing to do. Learn how to cast tenkara in this video with Daniel Galhardo. Remember to...
You don’t have to pronounce Japanese words correctly to fish with tenkara, but we thought you’d enjoy learning...
The tenkara history is long, though little of it is documented. Originally tenkara was the domain of commercial anglers in the mountain streams of Japan. Knowing that history goes a long way to helping fly-fishing remain simple, after all the original tenkara anglers did not have fill a vest with tons of stuff yet caught plenty of fish.
The first reference to tenkara fly-fishing was made in 1878, when Mr. Ernest Satow, a British diplomat who lived in Japan at the time, wrote in his diary about local fishermen using flies to catch the yamame (a Japanese trout) in the streams near Mt. Tateyama.
Tenkara was originally the domain of commercial fishermen in mountain areas of Japan, who would catch fish and sell it to villagers and inn-keepers. That history is important in helping understand tenkara, and ultimately help keep fly-fishing simple. Understanding tenkara is the reason we visit Japan every year and maintain a strong connection with tenkara masters in the country.
Tenkara USA is the first company to introduce tenkara outside of Japan. Founded in 2009 by Daniel W. Galhardo, Tenkara USA is a fully independent company, based in Boulder, Colorado. PRESS PAGE.
The vision for Tenkara USA is to introduce tenkara outside of Japan, to open the doors to people who like the idea of fly-fishing but have always found western fly-fishing too complex, and to excite experienced fly anglers through an undeniably effective but simpler approach to fly-fishing.
In 2007, Daniel Galhardo discovered a method of fishing called tenkara existed in Japan. After visiting Japan he fell in love with the method’s uncomplicated nature and decided others needed to learn about it. So, Daniel set out to create a business to introduce tenkara outside of Japan by putting tenkara gear in the hands of people. In March of 2009, a month before Tenkara USA officially “opened doors”, Daniel left his successful career in international banking to dedicate himself full-time to creating Tenkara USA.
Through frequent visits to Japan, Tenkara USA has developed very strong relationships with tenkara masters. We rely heavily on their knowledge and feedback to ensure the products we make and information we share are of highest quality and true to tenkara.
It’s probably not an exaggeration to say that our introduction of tenkara here has created a small revolution in the fly-fishing industry. Tenkara USA products have acquired renown worldwide, applause from our teachers in Japan, and passionate devotion by our customers.
The tenkara philosophy is our philosophy and simplicity is at its core.
We believe in respecting where tenkara comes from because that’s the best way to keep things very simple. We are not inventing a method of fishing, we are here to share the tenkara story with you. We believe in innovating and creating the best products possible, and if anything ever fails we will work to get it fixed quickly so you can be in the water sharing the tenkara story with friends. We love simplicity because it is liberating. It allows us to travel far without worrying about what gear to carry, and it allows us to explore and enjoy tenkara with other activities because simplicity doesn’t take up much room.
The Tenkara Cast is a podcast hosted by Daniel Galhardo. It covers stories, techniques, philosophy and other information that will inspire you to keep your fly-fishing simple and explore the outdoors. Sharing the tenkara story™
Daniel has hit the road to spread tenkara and is currently living the not-so-glamorous “van life” with his wife and their husky. In this episode Daniel turns...
Daniel talks to tenkara guide Mike Warren about tenkara fly-fishing in the Driftless Region of Wisconsin. About tenkara guide Mike Warren tenkara in the Driftless trip...
Today I had the pleasure to speak about tenkara and my recently released book with Nathan Heffel and Ryan Warner at the Colorado Public Radio (an affiliate of NPR). As I...
We like to think of ourselves as more than just a tenkara rod company. We're as interested in sharing information, instructions, stories and the philosophy of tenkara as making great products. Our blog is the richest resource on tenkara anywhere. Here are the latest posts.
Please ask any questions you may have about tenkara. It doesn’t matter if it’s been...
The biggest tenkara event – ever! – happened this weekend. The 2017 Tenkara Summit...
It is with a very heavy heart that I must share that a great friend and positive influence in the...
This video has no fishing in it, at all. But I thought you would enjoy the video I just created....
We have been on the road for 11 days now. Margaret and I have been enjoying our time together (we...
Yesterday part of the Tenkara USA team (myself, my wife and our husky Shiso) hit the road for the...
For any tenkara questions you have, warranty issues, replacement parts, or to place an order, contact our customer service team. We have a very responsive team in place ready to help.
