Having grown up in Japan, I knew of a number of traditional crafts that were struggling for survival. This is what he wrote; still true today, except that I think Gregg is right about price and $75 is too generous: Quite frankly, I believe the wooden box they come in are worth more than the rod! May 9, 2016 - Shop from the world's largest selection and best deals for Fly Vintage Fishing Rods. I can’t tell you exactly what it is, but I know that if you fish one, you will reach that conclusion as well. Not only are there different species throughout a forest, but on every tree, the joint spacing, thickness, curves, and fiber qualities are different. Examples would be, lines, actions, classic and modern makers actions and the like. Share with: Link: Copy link. Association for the Promotion of Traditional Craft Industries. How could this happen in a country that, for centuries, has served as a model of hand-made perfection? Cheap Vintage 3pc Golden Bamboo Fly Rod Made In Japan golden BAMBOO MISSING TI,You can get more details about Vintage 3pc Golden Bamboo Fly Rod Made In Japan golden BAMBOO MISSING TI:Shopping Guide on Alibaba.com I was proud of my cousin for taking up a noble profession that requires years of training. As to under $50, that's not likely to happen unless it is a bottom of the line rod in need of a lot work. by quashnet » 08/12/13 09:45, Post Saved from ebay.com. spoonsou. Includes bottom section mid section and multi option top sections as well as sleeve and box. I have a question about the Seaway Bamboo Fly 8'8" Fishing Rod (Made-in-Japan.) China Bamboo Fly Rod wholesale - Select 2021 high quality Bamboo Fly Rod products in best price from certified Chinese Outdoor Fly manufacturers, Rod Reel suppliers, wholesalers and factory on Made-in … PASSIONATE ABOUT COLLECTING AND FISHING COLORADO’S FINEST VINTAGE BAMBOO FLY RODS. I did a little history and found they were a popular brand made in Japan back in the 40's, selling for around 2 or 3 dollars. The Japanese word “shoganai” popped into my head. “ Recently discovered Japanese hand-made bamboo fly rod in almost as-new condition from 1965. Underneath their gorgeous lacquer, the basic parts to these poles might look relatively simple, but don’t let that fool you. While tanago fishing has enjoyed a small resurgence in the last decade, a craftsman with a decade of experience makes less than $30,000 a year. - 7'9 5wt Bamboo Rod. - 7'9 5wt Bamboo Rod. ↳   Ephemera, empherma and Ephemerella..... ↳   Photos, paintings, written stories and talents. The Premiers are certainly the quality equivalent of your average low end H-I. I think most of it is 50's vintage from Japan. For example, use a bamboo fly rod … All sections are full length... View full product details . Although he’s been making poles for 12 years, many of his family’s biggest customers are scrutinizing his progress closely, looking for signs of whether he can rise to his great uncle’s level of talent. From the beginning, Edo-wazao were a luxury item for the wealthy, for whom fishing had been a popular pastime akin to polo or golf. Some years ago, my cousin in Japan, a modest man with a passion for fishing named Tomoki Koharu, told me that he was training to become a maker of Japan’s traditional bamboo fishing poles. But a wazao possesses a certain integrity. Judaisaku still remembers his final test—an examination of his poles by 10 senior craftsmen. I bought four old Stanley 91/2 block planes, various rough out forms, Japanese sharpening stones, a steel planing form, and built a power beveler. Get the best deals on Bamboo Vintage Fishing Rods when you shop the largest online selection at eBay.com. Even though Judaisaku left his apprenticeship a half-century ago, he wore an outdated, full-throttle beard in memory of his great master. In an industry where most fishing poles sell for a few hundred to a few thousand dollars, his best is rumored to have sold for $100,000. by gmflyfish » 08/12/13 09:12, Post Coming from the Tosaku line, Toryo has advantages that other young wazao makers can only dream of: a solid customer base, the full backing of his parents, a workshop with an ample supply of tools, and the best bamboo money can buy–many of them harvested at a time when the bamboo forests were properly manicured. Once the bamboo has fully dried, it has to be straightened, which is done by heating the bamboo over hot charcoal, then torqueing it bit by bit in a wooden mold. He was a fly and bait casting champion and leveraged that notoriety to promote his legendary rods. Caretakers of these forests culled the land to make sure that each bamboo had plenty of room and sun to grow strong and straight. $1,295.00 US Hoffhines, R.W. “It’s difficult to say in front of another pole maker,” he said, glancing at my cousin. Chrome plating was seen as an advance when it was done by companies like Cross, but that was chrome over nickel silver. A customer gave this example to Saochu for inspiration. I try to say it nicely but it never ceases to amaze how many get angry and argumentative. The poles that had become the target of my cousin’s obsession are called Edo wazao, because the craft originated in Tokyo, known at the time as Edo. Most of them came in wooden boxes, and they were combination rods, meaning they came with two fly tips and a bait/spinning rod tip. Wazao makers tend to keep their best foraging spots secret; those who could afford it used to travel to the mountains of Kyushu, in southern Japan, which offered the best bamboo. Our author goes fishing, and explains how you too can keep fishing simple. “Craft worlds in general tend to be closed but the old masters are particularly conservative,” Akiba said. Fairly durable and can be … One of the casting tips has a loose guide but the other casting tip and the fly tip are all in good condition. As a result, families that have run artisanal businesses for generations now encourage their children to pursue more lucrative careers. I have an old bamboo rod that was sent home from Japan at the end of WW2. by PT48 » 08/13/13 16:52, Post While the working class used rough, homemade bamboo poles, nobility, kabuki masters, and prominent politicians used rods tailor-made to each season and fish species. The Edo-wazao is estimated to have started 228 years ago, by a samurai named Tosaku Matsumoto. What we offer. The label is gold, red and black with the letters in gold. #dreamingofbamboo.”  In the winters, he uploaded pictures of forests where he went to forage, searching for the perfect stalk of bamboo. There are three tip sections. I bought this from a sporting goods store on my first visit to Japan after joining the US NAVY … like the custom made fly rods of Yamame. The boxed sets have hardware that's chrome over. by potterpoole » 08/12/13 10:19, Post But he is the exception. This board is for discussing concerns of fishing bamboo fly rods. The downward spiral has taken its toll. A good wallhanger would go for more than that most of the time. © 2021 Yukari Iwatani Kane. Over time, I learned that he was also plagued with a deep uncertainty and fear. All rights reserved. Bamboo Has Weight. by DT4F » 08/12/13 09:58, Post Hang in there. Good to know. Tomoki said all the wazao masters felt more or less the same way. Under exclusive license to Craftsmanship, LLC. If you can negotiate a website in Japanese, here is the shop for Tosaku, the country’s longest running family that makes traditional bamboo poles. It has a label by the handle with the initials 'NF' or 'NB'. I am truly sorry for disturbing Mr. Davis's final rest as I am sure he is trying to delete this thread even as I type. Unauthorized copying or republication of any part of this article is prohibited by law. Bottom: Horrocks Ibbotson, Japan (wood box). The essence of fishing, of course, is a day spent outdoors—bonding, if you will, with nature. by jvh » 08/17/13 10:18, Powered by phpBB® Forum Software © phpBB Limited. Appraisal/Age??? Pushing your ceiling to the $200 mark or so would get you into many of the rods Jaime mentioned if you're willing to do some minor work, like guide re-wrap or ferrule reset. We have patented the hollow-fluting bamboo rod building process, set numerous bamboo world distance fly casting records, and maintained an uninterrupted 92-year commitment to building the most beautiful, highest performing bamboo fly rods available anywhere. More Info bamboo fly rods best bamboo fly rods Why American made bamboo rods are so expensive The prices have much to do with the fame of the maker.Commercial firms produce rods that approximate $3,000.Small makers with a good reputation will charge from $1000 to $2,000.If the rod is made by hand a bamboo rod will take about 80 hours to make. Even then, Tomoki said, Judaisaku wrestled with his decision to take Tomoki on as a student, because he didn’t want to be responsible for sending a young man into a dead-end business. Years ago, the founding owner of this Forum became frustrated by inquiries about boxed Japanese rods. GOODWIN GRANGER RODS . May 9, 2016 - Shop from the world's largest selection and best deals for Fly Vintage Fishing Rods. What makes kirikumi so tricky is that bamboo doesn’t grow with this kind of uniformity in mind. They work good for this. On my way out, when I mentioned to Toryo’s brother, Shuhei, that another aspiring maker, Tomoki, was my cousin, he asked me to give him a message: “Gambatte,” he said. As with so many Japanese crafts, the mark of mastery lies in hiding the complexity of the task, to not show it off. by waltryan1 » 08/17/13 08:24, Post What size/type of vintage Reel would you recommend for knock around use? Those who are willing to work this hard struggle to find masters who can afford to hire them. by bassman » 08/13/13 11:35, Post 14 followed in 1927 and it was in the late 1920's that names were added to better distinguish each rod. potterpoole, welcome to the forum. “In a few years, the masters will be gone, and their world will be gone with them,” he wrote at one point. more NFT JAPANESE 5 PIECE SPLIT BAMBOO 8'0" FLY ROD in the ORIGINAL BOX with Contents. Fly Fishing Rods Vintage Grampus Kiraku Split Bamboo Made in Japan Original Box. It has a very faint marking just up from the handle that reads Shinbashi Tosaku. 516. He wasn’t about to share his hard-earned status easily. While getting brewed into lacquer, the sap, which is toxic, blackens the hands and can leave a worker’s eyes badly swollen. And, in a step toward modernity, in late 2015, the family launched a retail Web site (see below), which Toryo’s twin brother manages. by potterpoole » 08/12/13 18:48, Post SOUTH BEND 290 7'6" BAMBOO FLY ROD | Classic Flyfishing Tackle Here is a US made rod for a pretty good deal - I don't know the maker but seems looks decent from the photos. To help me understand, my cousin took me to see his own master, Judaisaku, age 89. He entered the craft at age 19, and it took him four decades to feel like he knew what he was doing. by plaz » 08/16/13 23:16, Post Fly Rod has 2 Fly Rod Tips and 1 Casting Rod Tip" This rod is in very good condition.The Rod Box is in good condition with some water staining. Yet all of this may not be enough to give Toryo security. Never seen a good one. Shop with confidence on eBay! It took a small miracle to get this meeting—Saochu agreed on the condition that one of his customers, a major wazao collector, be present. Judged simply by performance, a wazao cannot touch the strength, flexibility, and efficiency of a single piece of carbon fiber, which is the material used for most fishing poles and fly rods today. The goal, he explained, is to find strong but relatively young stalks—the best are only a few years old, which still have flex. All of this struck me as bizarre. After thriving for generations, the wazao industry almost collapsed in the late 1970s when it was nearly obliterated by the introduction of carbon fiber rods. “I’m going to read a master’s book as I go to bed. Bamboo is the heaviest material made for fly rods, making them perfect for when you’re looking for accuracy and precision. DJ Duck 204E 2/2 7' 3" for 5 wt Line *SOLD* Douglas J Duck 204 E SOLD. It was March and the season for bamboo cutting had just ended. The reasons are myriad, but the end result is that the old masters can no longer afford to support apprentices. Many artisans now have to learn not only their craft but also how to make the tools for their craft. Rod Length; Shorter is lighter/ dry fly action: 7-8' are preferred. I think the rods in the post-war Japanese boxed sets are at least as good as the flies that are packaged with them. If the wazao industry is an illustration, the masters have now put themselves into a Catch-22: They are unwilling to compromise their craft by modifying traditional training methods; at the same time, they won’t acknowledge the work of younger craftsmen—because they hadn’t trained them. Experience the thrill of fly fishing with our Signature Series bamboo fly rods or create your own custom hand-crafted fly rod! Its handle piece (the first from the left) is so straight that it can … I dont know what you have, like Phil said it could very well be a custom made rod. Kirikumi begins with the craftsman looking through his collection of bamboo for perfectly matching segments. “It’s … frightening to think that I’m pouring my life into a trade that can’t provide a living.”. Like new condition. Yamame is a neat and beautiful trout what also is called the “Queen of Mountain Stream” A highly desired target of fly fishing in Japan. Of Japan’s 1,500 officially designated traditional crafts, 400 of them, or about 25 percent, no longer exist. An Oyster Bamboo Fly Rod starts at $4,600, thus making it the most expensive fishing rod that can be found out there on the market. No Granger that, but how will the fish know? These principles apply in abundance with wazao. Now 30, Toryo is the industry’s last formal apprentice, slated to take on the family’s eighth-generation mantle. 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