The technique was introduced from Kyoto at the end of the Edo period and has been preserved and nurtured as a side business for farmers. Over time, the quality of the products has improved, and the technique has evolved to the point where it can produce excellent fishing results.
In the mid-Meiji era, the company exhibited its products at fisheries exhibitions and won numerous awards, and since then, its quality has been recognized by many anglers. Today, it is a leading production area in the industry, producing the majority of domestic fishing flies.

• Technology/techniques/raw materials

  Technology/techniques/raw materials

  Technology/techniques

  1. Apply a "bottom lacquer coating".

  2. If you want a "gold base," apply gold leaf.

  3. Use shiki thread to secure the fishing line, feather barbs, animal hair, human hair, and gold thread.

  4. After securing one end of the material used for the body wrap, attach the horns.

  5. When wrapping the barbs around the hook shaft, ensure that the distal rows of barbules are always on the outside.

  6. The body wrap shall be made using one of the following methods: "loose wrap," "tight wrap," "loose wrap and overlapping wrap," "tight wrap and overlapping wrap," or "blurred wrap."

  7. The hair should consist of six strands.

  8. "Tamazuke" is performed by applying gold leaf after "urushi-tamazuke" (lacquered bead application).

   

  raw materials

  1. The hook shall be made of iron.

  ２ 漆は、天然漆とすること。

  3. The feathers used shall be those of chickens, crows, ducks, sparrows, pheasants, or geese, or those of equivalent material.

   

• Work scene

  Work scene

  Even in today's age of advanced machinery, fly fishing lures are still made using traditional, handcrafted techniques, boasting a tradition and history of over 100 years. Mastering the process of wrapping several types of bird feathers with silk thread onto a hook less than a centimeter long requires more than 10 years. These flies, created with complete concentration on the hands, are delicate and magnificent works of art in red, yellow, and gold. Let's take a look at the main points of the fly fishing lure manufacturing process.

  Process 1: Bottom lacquer coating

  On a lacquer mixing stand, mix lacquer and red lead (or polishing powder) with a tatami needle, apply the mixture to the tip of a paintbrush, and then apply it to the body of the hook (about 5 mm). After that, insert the hook into a hooking comb and let it dry.

  

  Process 2: Gold leaf pasting

  Once the lacquer has dried, take the hook removed from the comb used for hanging in your left hand, and with tweezers in your right hand, grasp the gold leaf and place it on the body. Then, while rotating the hook, attach it using a bird's feather (or a calligraphy brush).

  

  Step 3: Applying the lacquer ball

  Mix lacquer and red lead (or polishing powder) on a lacquer mixing stand to a consistency slightly firmer than the base lacquer coating. Apply this mixture to the tip of a tatami needle, shape it into a ball (about 1 mm in diameter) and attach it to the tip of the hook (the end of the base lacquered section), then insert it into a hooking comb and let it dry.

  

  Process 4: Gold leaf pasting

  Cut the gold leaf into squares of about 5 mm, and using tweezers, place one piece on the area where the lacquer will be applied, timing it so that the lacquer is just dry. Then, using a bird's wing (or a brush), move it up and down to attach it. At the same time, rotate the hook to brush away any excess gold leaf.

  

  Step 5: Attaching the tie thread

  After completing steps 1-4 and allowing the hook to air dry (for 30 days or more), insert it into the very end of the tube. Then, using the hook's back as the center point, wrap a piece of fishing line (about 33 cm long) around it, three times above and three times below, packing it in by about 1 mm at both ends.

  

  Step 6: Attaching the fishing line

  Wrap the jigging line around the hook three times from the top, then place the fishing line (about 33 cm) along the belly of the hook, and wrap the jigging line three times, tucking it in up to the hook's edge. Next, bend the end of the fishing line (about 5 mm) towards the hook's edge, and wrap the jigging line around it about six times to secure it so that the fishing line does not come off the hook.

  

  Step 7: Pre-winding

  Starting from the top of the hook (corresponding to the insect's rear end), take one chicken tail feather from the longer barb side, hold it with the tips of your left index finger and thumb, making sure the distant row of barbules is always on the outside, and wrap it around the hook about seven times, from the inside bottom to the outside top.

  

  Step 8: Attaching the horns

  It is attached to the rear of the insect to make it appear as a tail. Sparrow primary flight feathers are used.

  画像をクリックすると動画が再生されます

  Step 9: Wrapping the body

  The process of creating the body of an insect is called "body wrapping." After attaching lacquer, gold leaf, and a bead to the hook, a single fine bird feather is plucked and wrapped around it. Body wrapping can be divided into five types: 1) Gap wrapping: Wrapped with even gaps between the feathers. 2) Tight wrapping: Wrapped tightly together. 3) Gap wrapping and layered wrapping: Wrapped 3 to 6 more times with gaps between the feathers on top of the gap wrapping. 4) Tight wrapping and layered wrapping: Wrapped again with gaps between the feathers on top of the tightly wrapped feathers. 5) Blended wrapping: Wrapped with gaps between the feathers for two-thirds of the whole, wrapped slightly tightly for half of the remaining one-third, and then tightly wrapped at the end.

  

  Step 10: Mino hair application

  After wrapping the base, attach the feathers. Take one feather from the lower back of a Nagoya Cochin chicken, arranging the barbs carefully to remove six feathers. Then attach them so that the feathers surround the entire hook.

  画像をクリックすると動画が再生されます

  Step 11: Applying lacquer beads

  On a lacquer mixing stand, lacquer and red lead are mixed together firmly with a tatami needle. Lacquer is applied to the tip of the tatami needle, and while holding the fishing line, the hook is rotated to shape the part that will become the insect's head into a jewel shape, and then it is inserted into a comb for hooking and left to dry.

  

  Step 12: Gold leaf pasting

  Cut the gold leaf into rectangles of about 1 cm x 0.5 cm. Using tweezers, place one piece on the area where the lacquer ball will be attached, making sure the lacquer is just dry. Then, attach it by moving the bird's wings up and down. At the same time, rotate the fishing line to brush off any excess gold leaf, and the piece is complete.

  

   

• Close-up

  Close-up

  The epitome of delicacy: BANSHU Kebari (Fishing Flies)

  Fly fishing lures are a type of artificial lure that imitates aquatic insects and are used in ayu (sweetfish) fishing. However, their delicate beauty is not solely for fishing purposes; it may also be a result of humanity's own pursuit of beauty. We asked a fly fishing lure craftsman from Banshu about this.

   

  Attention to detail is important in both the work process and the materials used.

  "I don't make them when I'm feeling unwell," says Mr. Takenaka, who has been in this field for 40 years. He believes that you can't make good fishing flies when you're not feeling well. Concentration is essential when wrapping several types of bird feathers with silk thread onto a fishing hook that is less than a centimeter long. At the same time, it is clear that Mr. Takenaka cherishes this work very much. In the first stage of the process, he applies gold leaf to the hook, anticipating that it will be visible later through the gaps where the feathers are wrapped. Also, why does he wrap each barb with the top side facing outwards? It is because the surface of the barb is densely covered with fine hairs, and wrapping this side outwards around the body makes it fluff up nicely. "When attaching the horns (to make them look like a tail), we only use yellow-feathered sparrows. However, these birds are protected and difficult to obtain," says Mr. Takenaka. He also uses pheasant feathers, but only males; he does not use female feathers. Korean pheasant feathers are also used, but they have a different luster. Why the meticulous attention to both the work and the materials? For example, to the average person, the "Chaguma" and "Shimizu" hooks may look the same, but they change once submerged in water. Their shape is different in the open compared to underwater. Unless you imagine how they will change and create them accordingly, you won't be able to make hooks that will actually catch fish.

  • 

    Mr. Takenaka is concentrating on his work.

  • 

    Bird feathers used in production

  Why are there 500 different types of needles?

  There are over 500 types of fishing flies, but why so many? It's because there was a demand for flies that could suit various natural environments and conditions. Flies were needed that could adapt to the season, weather, time of day, water quality, water color, and water depth. For example, bright, reddish flies are often effective on cloudy or rainy days or when fishing in deep water. It's a history of a battle of wits between fish and humans. Currently, about 200 types are actually in use. "I've made 150 types so far, but my goal is to make 500 samples," says Takenaka. There are currently about 10 types of successful flies (that consistently catch fish). These include "Blue Lion," "Yatsuhashi," "Shimizu," "Chaguma," and "Akaguma," but 2 to 3 types change every year. Takenaka is always striving to create hooks that catch fish and never neglects data analysis. He compiles data until the end of the Obon festival each year, analyzing which hooks are selling well and which are not, and considers which ones are bestsellers. Personal orders and information from anglers are also extremely important. These factors are combined to create the production plan for the following year. The products are then manufactured by the time the ban is lifted the following year. While they are also trying their hand at new products to respond to changing needs, this year's new product is a trade secret.

  

  Artworks of the microscopic world: "Flying Fishing Rods"

  The number of people captivated by the allure of fly fishing is gradually increasing.

  Due to river pollution, the number of ayu (sweetfish) has decreased, and sales of fly fishing lures have also declined due to the recession. However, recently, the number of people using fly fishing lures has been increasing. It seems that the habits of ayu have changed, and they are no longer being caught using the traditional method of "tomozuri" (lure fishing). Also, there are now more rivers where ayu can be caught in abundance than two or three years ago. But more than anything, the number of anglers who are captivated by the enjoyment of fly fishing is increasing. More and more people are becoming fans who enjoy a battle of wits with ayu using delicate and gorgeous fly fishing lures. And more and more anglers are being drawn to the beauty of the fly fishing lures themselves. Some anglers request the use of flashy threads, but Mr. Takenaka is working on new designs if it will increase the desire of anglers to buy them. When asked if it is getting harder and harder to make them resemble insects, he gave a surprising answer: "Ayu fly fishing lures are certainly artificial lures, but they don't resemble insects." The makers' desire to create beautiful flies drives their work, and they don't necessarily adhere to the principle of making them resemble insects. It's as if they continue to challenge themselves, assuming that ayu fish can judge the quality of the flies. They will undoubtedly continue to search for and create flies that are in line with the times. Looking at the flies they have created, one might say that they are not merely flies, but the pinnacle of humanity's pursuit of beauty.

  

  Concentrating all your attention on a needle that is only 1 cm long.

  Craftsman Profile

  ​Kenichi Takenaka

  Traditional craftsman.
  Having been in this field for 40 years, his confidence and humility shine through.

  

  Anecdotes

  The History of BANSHU Kebari (Fishing Flies)

  BANSHU Kebari (Fishing Flies) lures have been elevated to the level of works of art. Where do their roots lie? Let's look back at their history.

  The History of BANSHU Kebari (Fishing Flies)
  How did fly fishing lures, which developed in Kyoto, come to be produced in Nishiwaki, Banshu? During the Edo period, around the Tenpo era (1830-1844), this area was a key transportation hub on the Kyokaido road, which connected Kyoto with the San'in and Kyoto-Sanyo roads (Kyoto-Kameoka-Sasayama-Nishiwaki-Kakogawa-Takasago-Shikoku). As such, it had close ties with Kyoto, and techniques and methods from Kyoto, the birthplace of fly fishing lures, were transmitted to the area. One theory is that local traveling merchants introduced them. On the other hand, it is said that many people from this area went to Kyoto to work as apprentices, learned fly fishing lure making methods there, and then returned to Nishiwaki to increase production. Thus, production flourished, taking advantage of the off-season for agriculture. At that time, sophisticated products like those made today were not produced, but from the end of the Meiji era to the Taisho era, technology improved remarkably and production increased. After 1945, the period when fly fishing lures sold the most was around 1947-1955. Since 1935, production has been gradually declining. Recently, it has been only 60% of what it was in the 1970s. Several reasons can be cited, but first and foremost is the deterioration of the natural environment. Secondly, dams have been built upstream of rivers, preventing water from flowing. Thirdly, rivers have been developed, making them unsuitable environments for fish (ayu) to reproduce. In other words, the environment was not suitable for fish to live in. The current annual production value is 250 million yen, accounting for more than 95% of the national total. Recently, the environment has been re-evaluated, and fish (ayu) are slowly returning to some rivers. Interest in artificial flies is also increasing, and an increase in demand is expected again in the future.

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    A charming, old-fashioned style of ayu fishing.

  • 

    The battle of wits with the ayu fish continues to this day.