I think you have just sufficient space to carry yourself and your tenkara rod but you will get to the river very quickly! A superb car.
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Brilliant car Todoroki-san! One of my favorites made by Lotus.
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How often do we get to interact directly with the designers, manufacturers and purveyors of the things we buy, and moreover interact with them on a similar level - as enthusiasts? I think itās rare, and itās something that complicates the issue in the world of tenkara.
I like what @CM_Stewart says - there are no American tenkara masters (yet). But at the same time, there are plenty of people who are selling rods, guide trips, lessons, etc. In order to be successful, these people must exhibit some expertise, or be ignored and likely fail. While Chris might not be a tenkara master, I donāt think there is much debate that he has expertiseā¦it shines through his website and the descriptions of the gear he sells.
As the industry expands, new vendors have to come with something newā¦more and different āexpertiseā (whether that comes in terms of new design, new technique, whatever)ā¦but the trick is that these people are also often interacting with us laymen on the level of an enthusiast. When I read a post from @A_Naples (just an example, not picking on him for any reason specifically) I donāt think of him as a salesman, I think of him as a fellow angler. [Edit to add: this is a complimentā¦I love that most of the sellers of gear clearly enjoy the sport and like talking about it informally.] I donāt envy the difficulty this must cause for those people who are making a living from this sport. If I was selling something, I would have a hard time avoiding the temptation of trying to look smart, and it would inevitably cause me to get into discussions that I wouldnāt get into if I was only an enthusiast.
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To clarify Its not the western experts per seā¦ I am thankful for all of them. Without them, we would not have access to tenkara.
The beef in the representation of tactics that are not concise, that are heavy handedā¦ and over complicated.
This does not help in education nor is it clear communication. I guess its sort of an unfair criticism, but a peeve of mine especially if the tone of writing is pretentious.
Consider thisā¦tenkara is as much a part of Japanese culture as it is a method of fishing. There are bound to be plenty of misinterpretations and incorrect or impossible translation in the concepts, techniques, and the history. If we do not approach documenting our interpretation these techniques with care and humility, we may very well end up with a corrupt documentation of it.
A fellow tenkara enthusiast of mine, noted that the previous year he thought he knew tenkara, but now realizes he knew absolutely nothing.
This method for us, will never be the same as what it is to a Japenese angler.
Also note that for it to be tenkara-like. It does not need to be complicated not riddled with expensive equipment and fancy technology. Consider the origins. Japanese Mountain people with bamboo rods and furled lines. Were they not tenkara anglers? Do you think they needed all the material we seem to need to be successful?
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I though there is no language skills enough to participate in a forum for discussion
I have a doubt
What is tenkara masters
Is it almighty fisherman?
I can sympathize with @Gressakās opinion
There are many tenkara fisher who have doubts about in Japan about tenkara which is introduced now in mass media
tenkara is basically simple
I think that there is no mistake that each tenkara fisherman practices it independently by thinking about the type of fish and how to fish it
In except that fish yourself in kebari 
I think also try to convey the kebari that have not been introduced properly correctly in Japan
I find your insight very valuable. I would like to here more detail about your recent post.
In general I find a lot of fishing concepts hard to put into words as often they are more tied to reflections in experience.
I think with any discipline, a master is someone who is operating at a higher level.
He or She is an artist not a technician.
Often this person may have a distinct voice and success separated form the rest of the pack. Much like how each Master painter has their own way of using their material. Matisse, Pollock, Rembrandtā¦not the same approach.
I have not met a tenkara Master. I have met some pretty good anglers though.
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todoroki34,
Hi. If you have time and the interest, can you share with us in a separate thread your interpretation of Tenkara past and present.
Iām glad that you see me as a regular fellow angler - thatās what I am of course
Just fellow angler sharing my winding journey to tenkara happiness 
- I do try to keep clear of gear recommendation threads to keep things from getting muddied
One thing Iāll never forget is on a trip to Colorado I was having a pretty good trip - getting into the āzoneā that happens on long fishing trips - feeling like at least a minor expertā¦ Iād had decent luck on the Frying Pan and great days on the Yampa below Stagecoach
We get to the Taylor tailwater and i see all these hogs and my buddy and I are catching a few dinks ā¦ well these two locals show up and proceed to land one slab after another after they left I go to where they were fishing and of course get nothing ā¦ very humbling
We did talk to these guys - of course they did not offer up any info on the fly they were using or techniques ā¦ but they were just some local guys - nobody famous or anything and they schooled us bad
So whenever I get to feeling even slightly cocky I remember that night and it sets my mind right
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Youāre either winning or youāre learning right?
Paul
Just as an aside, there are definitely some unsung/under the radar proper technical aces in Japan (Mushu-san, Takahashi-san and Ajari/Saigo-san to name a few). Next level stuff with those guys.
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What does it mean to master something?
The short, obvious, answer would probably lean towards āefficiencyā aspects, catching fish (preferably many) in various conditions etc.
And itās true up to a point.
That is partly inherited, from times when we needed numbers of fish for food or for trade.
And itās also partly a mirror of the society we live in, where effectiveness and results are the norm, and softer, āspiritualā if you like, values comes in short.
Itās of little value to be able to catch 50 fish a day and be happy, if you canāt be happy that day when you only catch 5.
I think skill needs to be paired with a non-competative mind, a certain distance to what youāre doing.
And the more you know, the less complicated things seem. The more you learn, the less stuff you need to the water. You can rely on your knowledge rather than gadgets, and choose if those gadgets contributes to the experience or not.
Enjoy yourself, simplify and be happy.
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Paul,
Not sure if you are aware of how tainted the term āwinningā is but culturally it has sort of related to the seedy / petty. Both Charlie Sheen and a certain government leader (that shalt not be named) have corrupted the word forever. Hahahhaha. I hope I am never āwinningā.
I absolutely believe there are master tenkara anglers in Japan. I just do not believe there are any western tenkara masters. No matter how much we think we know we are still just students trying to interpret the information spoon fed to us. All of what we think we know of tenkara is probably introductory. To think or act otherwise is ignoranceā¦as it is in any discipline. Consider a university student who has been immersed in study for 4 years focused on a discipline. After he/she graduates that student is still a grunt in the context of their discipline.
In my surfcasting community, there are guys who fish every day. Some of them have done this for four or more decades. Their angling skill is intertwined with their understanding of the patterns in nature and how to capitalize on those patterns with the tools they use. They call them sharpies. Even though I have been employing surfcasting techniques for a decade and a half, I am just scratching the surface. Without fishing every day there is a large part of the picture that I may never understand.
Our tenkara community is currently fixated on tools and mechanical technique. I see this is the smallest part of the picture, but the easiest to get overly fixated on.
We all are tenkara grunts, but it does not mean we cannot just enjoy the basics of what we do know. I consider fishing an art form. Some artists reject academics or have to unlearn academics in order to free themselves to find their creative voice. I see fishing and painting to be similar. First we mimic, then we find our own approach. The structure of academics can be like railroad tracks. Sometimes its more rewarding to find oneās own path. Sometimes one can find a deeper meaning/enjoyment by shedding the burden of academics. Fishing is freedom for me. I try to keep the academics in check by occasionally breaking the rules and exploring avenues that are not documented.
In the realm or western tenkara, the majority of the material written is written by the students. The Material on discover tenkara has a nice mix of material. I see the most value in the interviews and the direct words of the different Japanese anglers over Discover Tenkaraās analysis interpretation of it. Please recognize the context of this statement as being a preference on hearing the words of the teacher over the words of the student. Its not meant to be an insult, but rather stating a fact and a natural preference. I am thankful for the all material you provide but find the meat of its value in those interviews. Each interview such a dense nugget of informationā¦just mind blowing stuff for me.
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I think enjoying the moment and being content with what the river gives you is wisdom but does not make one a master angler. A novice can have this philosophy.
I know some anglers that are better skilled than I are very competitive. Some of the reason they are good is a result of their competitive drive. They are driven to improve, where my drive is to just have fun.
A master angler in any discipline can see and do things that the masses cannot. I suppose the title has context and is relative to the group. Most apex anglers I know do not showboat and are sort of anti-social. Sometimes it can be hard to recognize them.
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As for mastery ā¦ well Iād say the more you think you are one the less likely you really are to be one.
The Dunning Kruger effect probably gets over referenced these day but ā¦ Iād say Iāve seen it in manifest in my own life over and over. You really donāt know what you donāt knowā¦
You quickly move from novice to competent amateur and think youāve got it figured out - the curve flattens and then to make the move from amateur to expert and then to master takes exponentially longer ā¦
The way to really now if youāre moving at all is to ask yourself whether the subject of study looks bigger than it did before or smaller. If you think that the subject looks smaller and believe youāre approaching expert level then itās almost a guarantee that youāre not
If on the other hand the subject of study looks increasingly large, nuanced and impossibly larger than you imagined ā¦ well then maybe youāre making some progress
I think Darwin summed it up pretty well āIgnorance more frequently begets confidence than does knowledgeā
I look for humility in my experts and masters as a guide to their true mastery
I say this as some that knows Iāve suffered visions of grandeur ā¦ Iāve seen it in my own life in many arenas - that moment when my eyes finally open and I realize that I donāt really know sh*t - that Iāve yet again fallen prey to Dunning-Kruger ā¦
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Ha ha ha - Anthony you might be amused to know that I have the slide of the Dunning-Kruger curve in most of my presentations with the meme slogan
āThe first rule of Dunning Kruger Club isā¦You do not know you are in Dunning Kruger Clubā.
Well it makes me laugh anyway
BTW, you might have seen on Facebook that, in a completely accidental moment of clairvoyance two of the three āunder the radarā legends that I mentioned in this thread were featured front and centre in Dr Ishigakiās Summit presentation (Takahashi san and Saigo-san/āAjariā) in the new DVD he is launching. They are in the DVD clips he features in his presentation; though of course their names are written in Kanji.
I was moved to do a blog post because I think it represents quite a significant shift and reaction to the ongoing relationship that Ishigaki-sensei has with, in particular, Ajari. If you need it, the blog post is available here: http://www.discovertenkara.com/blog/tenkara-summit-ishigaki.html
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PS - Gressak - I was sort of knowingly quoting Conor Mcgregor with the āwinning/learningā saying. Itās what he said with quite impressive stoicism when heād had his ass handed to him by Nate Diaz in their first fight.
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Ahā¦Paul just revealed he is an mma junky. Paulā¦you savage.
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Hee hee. Itās in my bio on the āAbout usā page on the DT site, but I would say that enjoy the technical part more than being punched on the nose (so Iāve done more Judo, BJJ and Tomiki Aikido with just a smattering of boxing).
Great thread.
On a somewhat related side note. I have a friend who fights MMA and she says very similar things about that as are being discussed here.
To me, a master knows what they are doing, why they are doing that (and why theyāre not doing something else), and can explain it to me in a way that my wee brain can make sense of. Not to mention a number of other things about how they present themselves.
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