Kaga fishing flies are tiny works of art with a long and fascinating history. They say they have the spirit of the samurai inside them. Meboso Hachirobei Shoten is a shop that has preserved that tradition to the present day. By designing new products and finding new markets, they are doing a booming business. This week, PingMag MAKE spoke to Yuji Meboso, the 20th generation owner of this family firm.
Interviewed by Takafumi Suzuki
Translated by Claire Tanaka
I’m not very familiar with Kaga fishing flies. They’re a traditional folk art, aren’t they?
Yes. They’re a designated Ishikawa Prefecture Folk Craft. Of course, there are plenty of fishermen who are fans of the flies who use them even today. A fishing fly is a fishing lure that is made to look like an insect, using things like bird feathers and animal fur.
You must have a special attachment to fishing, and to fishing lures, then?
No, not particularly (laughs). Well, I don’t dislike it. My mother is the one who is really into it. She’s over seventy years old, but she never misses the first day of ayu season (laughs).
She’s really serious about her fishing, then. Mr. Meboso, how many generations have there been now in your business?
If you’re talking generations, then I’m the 20th generation. The founder started the business about 430 years ago. But, I’m actually the second-born son in my family, so that’s probably why I’m so laid-back about it all.
Four hundred and thirty years, there’s a lot of history in this shop.
Yes. It was founded towards the end of the Sengoku (warring states) Period. The shop started out selling sewing needles. Back then, sewing needles were a very important, essential household item. They were used for sewing jute bags and umbrellas, and for binding books. Also, people would buy cloth for a kimono and then sew it themselves. Back in the Edo Period, we were the official sewing needle supplier to the Maeda Han.
So you didn’t deal in fishing hooks back then?
The history of Kaga fishing flies started in the Edo Period. But at that time not just anyone could go ayu fishing. Only the samurai were permitted to do it. So, the samurai who enjoyed ayu fishing would take sewing needles and bend them themselves, and make their own flies by hand.
There’s something romantic about the image of a samurai taking his handmade fish hook to go fishing by the river.
Oh, but it really wasn’t. The Edo Period bakufu government watched over the Maeda Han very carefully to make sure it didn’t grow too powerful. People weren’t allowed to publicly train in the martial arts. That’s when they got the idea to go ayu fishing. Using the fishing rod in place of a sword, the motion of swinging it up and down to cast looked like they were just playing. But for a samurai, walking on the rocky riverside was also good training for their legs and back.
Wow, the Maeda Han samurai really used their heads.
Yeah (laughs). But, where they really used their heads was with the ayu fishing itself. The act of fishing for ayu is really a contest of wits, man against fish. By putting a variety of colored hairs on the hook, you can deceive the ayu. Feathers of the common pheasant, the copper pheasant, the peahen, as well as lacquer, foil, and animal skin on the hook are used to make it look like a mayfly or a mayfly larva. The interesting thing about the Maeda Han samurai was how they used their aesthetic sensibilities to catch fish.
How did they do that?
What they used to call the aesthetic ideal of “iki”, you know? There is one other way of catching ayu called “tomo zuri” which the samurai avoided, since they thought it wasn’t iki. Tomo zuri is when you use an ayu fish itself as bait to catch more ayu. The samurai thought that was a cowardly way to do it. It wasn’t iki. I think that Kaga fishing flies were able to be developed to the very ideal level of the craft because of the samurai’s beauty-loving dispositions.
When were regular folks finally allowed to fish for ayu?
Not until the Meiji Period (1868+). It became very popular quite suddenly, and by the Taisho Period (1912 –1926) Kaga fishing flies had become well-known all over the country, and annual production reached over one million. There must have been a lot of fishing fly artisans and fishing rod craftsmen in those days. Now, there are only eight people left who make Kaga fishing flies.
Your shop really has the heavy weight of history on its shoulders, doesn’t it! So tell me, why did you choose to take over the family business, even though you’re the second son?
My big brother was supposed to take over the business, but he said, “I never want to be in the fish hook business!” and he really felt strongly about it, it seems. But our parents said “We won’t allow it. You must carry on the business.” My brother could see that if he wanted to both get his way and satisfy our parents, he wasn’t going to be able to get away with just getting any old job. So he studied like hell and passed the national exam to become accountant (laughs). If he became an accountant, our parents wouldn’t be able to complain. I didn’t have anything else in particular in mind, so I ended up carrying on the business.
You didn’t have any reservations about taking over the fish hook business?
None at all. I was just like, “well, I guess I’ll do it.” I was able to take it over without feeling any pressure about how old or important it is.
The use of color is so fresh!
Looking very much like an insect
I think it’s amazing how lighthearted you can be about taking over a business with over 430 years of history behind it. But, you’re also trying something quite unique with using Kaga fishing flies to make jewelry, aren’t you?
Yes. Amongst the fishermen, some say that it’s not our place to get into such a business. But, Kaga fishing flies have a long history and tradition. You need a lot of skill to make them right. There has to be a certain amount of work to do in order to maintain that skill level. No matter how beautiful the fishing flies are, the only people who will buy them are fishermen. That’s where we got the idea to make jewelry from the fishing flies. That way we can sell them to regular people, to women. Now, we sell more jewelry than we do flies.
I see, you really are thinking hard about this. It seems like Kaga fishing flies are going to be able to adjust to a new era and survive after all.
I hope so. Thanks to the jewelry aspect, we seem to have solved our problem of finding artisans to take over from those retiring from the business. Traditionally, fishing flies have been made by women. But, these days if you ask a young woman, “How’d you like to become a fishing fly artisan?” you’d be met with a “Huh?” but if you say “How’d you like to design jewelry?” then they might say “I think I’ll try it!” Or at least that’s what we hope (laughs).
Meboso Hachirobei Shouten
11-35, Yasue-machi, Kanazawa city,Ishikawa
Yuji Meboso
Born in Kanazawa city, in 1968. Twentyth generation owner of Meboso Hachirobei Shouten
6 Comments
- Share and Enjoy:
PingMag MAKE is the sister site to PingMag. We use an interview format to put the spotlight on a wide range of people active in rural areas. We document the voices of these unknown heroes and broadcast them to the world. It’s the Japan-based magazine about people and making things, coming out once a week. We’re passing on the passion, ideas, skills, and life stories of people who are building today and exploring tomorrow: craftsmen, engineers, entrepreneurs, and inventors. Stay tuned!
Important Notice
31 Dec 2008
Looking at Tradition with a Scientific Heart: Ootsuji Asahi-do
16 Dec 2008
The Adventures of the Japan-made T-shirts: Kume
9 Dec 2008
Tying the Knot: Kikuyu
2 Dec 2008
The Stone Merchant: Sato Teiseki ten
25 Nov 2008
Preserving the Essence of the Kiri Tansu: Ogura Tansu Ten
18 Nov 2008
Natural Materials and Design: Tsuruya Shoten
11 Nov 2008
Learning From a Young Master: Ceramic Artist Ryota Aoki
4 Nov 2008
Tiny Works of Shogi Art: Tendo Satoh Takashi Shouten
28 Oct 2008
Tada Mokko: A Woodcrafter’s Tale
21 Oct 2008
I like the jewelery!!
Posted by: FJ on May 11th, 2008 at 10:56 am
those brooches look really fragile but so beautiful
Posted by: Anonymous on May 18th, 2008 at 5:28 am
fantastic post! the facts about the samurai training are amazing, using fly fishing as a samurai workout makes total sense ( I’m a kendo 2nd dan ). And the facts about the “iki”, art of fishing versus the “easy one” are elevating that practice to an art ! On the craft side, the baits “ornaments” are beautiful and looklike delicate little sculptures. Again, great post, it make me want to get my camera, take a plane and do a documentary about that matter right away ! thanks !
Posted by: prezd on June 23rd, 2008 at 3:23 am
I saw these for sale (hooks, jewelry, and needles too) at a craft shop near the 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art in Kanazawa City.
Posted by: Claire on July 8th, 2008 at 4:18 pm
im doing research on predator/prey
pattern recognition as it applies to
species evolution-i suspect that
kaga flies incorporate color patterns
that ayu innately perceive as prey-im
working on a math model of the system
Posted by: dr rupert on March 23rd, 2009 at 1:26 am
One of the most interesting articles and pictures I have seen online! :)
Posted by: fisherman on January 17th, 2010 at 9:33 am