April 08 2010
One of the possible origins of tenkara, part 1
There are several theories regarding the origins of tenkara. It may have been imported from China, it may have passed through the lowlands in the hands of samurai and up to the mountains, or it may have originated independently. Personally, I have no reason to believe it didn’t originate independently. The mountain folk in Japan had an abundance of fish in their reach, and plenty of streams around them. The abundant bamboo in some areas made bamboo rods an obvious tool of choice, and what is perhaps one of the most logical steps towards fly-fishing, creating artificial flies that could be used over and over again to catch fish in small running streams was by far much more efficient than using bait (tie one fly and catch several fish v. look for bait, catch bait, change bait, catch one fish…). One of the theories for the origins of tenkara is the “samurai tenkara theory”. It’s the theory most westerners are quickly drawn to because it brings to mind the poetic image of a samurai with a fishing rod as substitute for a weapon. I think it is plausible, and cool, but based on one counterargument, presented here, it may not be the most likely origin.

It is known that the samurai, one of the highest classes in Japanese society at times, fished for Ayu and other fish found in the lower flatlands of the country. They even used this method of fishing as a martial arts practice substitute at times of peace and quiet. It is also known that the samurai sometimes used flies; intricate patterns made with several types of feathers and silk wound around bent needles. As the samurai tenkara theory goes, their method of fishing may have found its way to the high mountains of Japan where it was adapted by locals to small, fast running streams and became tenkara.
Before visiting Japan…












