Oh-edo Antiques/Bric-a-brac Market

Lots of punters abroad even by 9am.  There were some nice specimens of lacquerwork and old tansu chests I would think about buying if I lived in a bigger house.   I was also tempted by a complete set of mounted John Player cigarette cards: Sea Fishes of the British Isles but thought better of it.  However, after some searching I found what I was looking for in the first place: a Japanese traditional stream fisherman’s creel (called biku, 魚籠 in Japanese).  It was very cheap and with some scrubbing and maybe lacquering, will be perfectly serviceable.

Anyway, on returning home the shirogisu whiting – boned except for the tail and spread out – I had laid out to dry in the sun were ready.  Treated this way the fish will keep for a fortnight or so.

Tanago rods latest

Put a layer of red lacquer on my tanago rods.  It looks a poor-john dull mauve colour but with a year or so, the lacquer should come up a nice rich red colour (the longer you leave urushi, the clearer and brighter it comes out).  Whilst these rods are made as a pair, I believe I shall keep one (the thicker of the two, probably) for my own fishing, and sell the other.  Check back soon for updates on the progress of the making of bamboo rod cases for both.

Fly fishing

under the sakura cherry blossoms…

Despite the copious, long-winded fetishism associated with fly fishing – if a trout were caught for every word written on the subject of fly fishing, surely the poor creatures would have been extinct in the last century – I have found here stream fishing in Japan, just two flies produce at least 90% of all my catches: parachute Adams and hare’s ear.  Today was no exception; this wild rainbow was taken on a green #16 Adams…

Made the trip to

Aoki again, to buy some bamboo for my rod making.  As always, I was made most welcome and came back home positively laden with bamboo and supplies.  Indeed, the rod-maker most generously gave me two enormous bundles of bamboo for practising cane-firing for free, and the root-bamboo at a highly discounted price.  Thank you as always, to Mr. Y. of Kawaguchi, Saitama.

The bamboo I immediately set to dry on my balcony, and I look forward to the (labour-intensive) firing as I am sure it will make good practice.  I took the precaution of buying some root-bamboo for my future rod making, which was much cheaper than buying it here in Tokyo, and of better quality:

Anyway, the professional rod maker also gave me some thick pieces of bamboo to make cases for my tanago rods…which I gladly accepted with only a token resistance.  As another shot to add to my locker I hope to learn how to make good bamboo rod cases for the fishing rods I make, and I am most grateful for the supplies and the generous advice given to me on the day.

Anyhow, urushi lacquering of my tanago rods progresses as usual, and now is the time to decide what kind of finish to do the wrapped parts in.  We shall see how they turn out…

At last

starting to look like a proper tanago rod:

After firing the bamboo once more (it warps in the humidity of the lacquering, as you can see in the photo) then I can set to lacquering the wrapped joints and then the body of the rod.  We shall see how it turns out!

Tanago Rod Update

Progress on my new 50-cm, four-piece tanago rods.  After a long day today managed to fit all three insert pieces of one of the rods.  The wrapping and filing process can warp the bamboo slightly so after the other rod is fitted I will fire them both again and then they are ready for lacquering.

The rod held in my hand, to give some idea of its size.  The tip and the rod section that holds it have clearly warped a bit.

Tanago rods wrapped

with silk thread.  This photo was taken just before I lacquered them.  The silk thread absorbs the lacquer and hardens to form the rod joints.  The long strands on the end of the tips will be tied into a lilian knot later.

Just to make sure you know

I can make sea-fishing rods as well…this is my mid-water whiting rod I made last Autumn but ready for use now.  The red urushi has come up nice and bright and the mother-of-pearl is really nice now (although its true beauty is not done justice in the digital photography).  I still haven’t worked out a way to photograph a fishing rod in its entirety and still retain the required resolution, so here are some close-up shots only.

Close-up of the bamboo root-butt:

And also a close-up view of the mother-of-pearl inlaid wraps on the rod:

Tanago Rod Making

Laid down the bamboo for two tanago rods.  These will be the first bamboo rods I am making completely on my own, without my teacher’s instruction or he firing the bamboo for me.  Both are four-piece rods and are designed extra-small for the extra-small fishing at Lake Teganuma.  Click through for the full post.

Teganuma Tanago Fishing

New record fish!  Caught on one of my home-ground hooks at Lake Teganuma yesterday.  Not quite the almost-legendary 1-yen-coin fish but by far my smallest tanago yet (a 1-yen coin is smaller in diameter than the first joint on my middle finger, whereas this fish is clearly longer than it).

Despite the sunny weather there was a very strong unseasonal wind blowing, the Japanese version of the  mistral perhaps, which made fishing almost impossible in the morning (on several occasions, the wind actually picked my tackle out of the water and set it flying, parallel to the ground, as a kind of fish-pennant).  Instead I had a good chat with one of the local regular tanago anglers (whose rod I lacquered previously) and in addition to a great deal of advice, kindly made a gift of a great number of things: two tanago rods, some hooks, a float rig, a set of three diamond files for grinding hooks and a bunch of yadake bamboo and split cane (for tips) for my own rod-making.  I look forward to using them!

Since the strong winds precluded any real fishing we set out to a local restaurant for an unagi lunch.  I have been to this restaurant before and they serve a special dish, which contains twice as much eel as an ordinary one:

After a hefty lunch we set to tanago fishing at the same spot as my last visit to Teganuma in February; curiously enough, the same anglers as last time were there too and it was pleasant to chat with them again.  One of them made me a gift of one of his secret tanago ground hooks and it was amazing to see the difference in my rate of catching.  At the same time, we spoke of some tanago anglers who claimed to have caught a specimen 13mm in length (a 1-yen coin is 20mm in diameter), and of another who said his fish was still an alevin – with a yolk sac attached (!), to which my companion dourly asked how he could tell it was a tanago.   Anyway, it was nice to make a catch of progressively smaller fish and to give my own ground hooks a try, and receive lots of advice (and gear) from veteran anglers who know so much.  In my own experience I have always found Japanese anglers to be generous with their knowledge and always eager to offer some friendly advice. 

Anyway, we fished till twilight and all tanago were released, traumatised perhaps but otherwise healthy, to fight another day.  Many thanks as always to Mr. I for everything, and also to Mr. Greentree and Mr. Redfeather for their generous gifts and advice!