|
I was aimlessly surfing the Internet this afternoon,
waiting for the looming thunderheads to disgorge
themselves of the moisture which they portended to
deposit, when I stumbled upon the website of Japanese
designer, fly-fisherman, and wildlife artist, Yoshikazu
Fujioka, entitled "Trouts and Seasons of the Mountain
Village." As a young man in the United States Navy, I
spent three years living in Northern Japan. Much of
my free time was spent exploring the high mountain
lake region of Towada in the Hakoda Wilderness, and
it was not uncommon for me to happen upon fly-fishermen
on my hikes. But it was cost-prohibitive for a young
American sailor in those days to fish legally in Japan
...especially fly-fishing. So I would sit quietly and
watch these anglers ply their craft in the dramatic
pastoral beauty of the Japanese countryside. Thus, it
was with reminiscent intrigue that I began exploring
Fujioka's website.
Copyright (c) 1997-2004 Yoshikazu Fujioka, used with permission
The story Fujioka tells to the ethereal audience through
this modern medium that is the Internet is one of timeless
natural beauty and the capacity of mankind to both
appreciate its essence and to capture and share some
portion of her gift with others. I could not help being
struck by the transcendence of the fact that this Japanese
businessman had combined the ancient arts of fly-fishing
and painting with the modern skill of website design
in much the same fashion as we do here in America.
With deft manipulation of streams of ones and zeroes,
paint and canvas, rod and reel, he touched me, stirred
my memory and my soul, and conveyed a lifetime of
practice, learning, observation, and joy…defying time
and space in the process. The passion that would lead
a man to create such a wonder of communication gave me
pause to consider: what is it about fly-fishing that
drives us - all of us - to share it with others? What
transforms the simple practice of harvesting food from
nature to a lifelong obsession and the desire to share
that passion with those around us? Is it the connection
we make with nature that becomes so tangible when we hook
up with a trout? Is it the observation of the beauty
around us? Or is there something about the rhythm and
timing of the cast, the fastidiousness required of our
knots and fly tying? Or is it all of the above?
And then, with the sudden and fitting clarity possessed
and relished no better than by the Oriental mystics
themselves, I realized my questions were standing in
the way of the real object of my discovery. I took
a deep breath and simply basked in the marvelous
realization of what it means to be a fly-angler in
the twenty first century...by the anachronisms
entwined in the moment...and by the shear weight
of what it truly means to be a "fly-angler on-line."
To visit Fujioka's website for yourself, see
https://www.itow.com/amago/index2.php . The artwork
is superb in the tradition of the Japanese naturalists.
The stories of fishing exploits, streams, and villages
are rich with color and detail. The overview of trout
and salmon species is complete with illustrations by
the artist. And through it all Fujioka's passion for
nature, his love of fishing, and his keenly Japanese
sense of belonging to it all abounds. It makes for a
very interesting cross-cultural experience on a rainy
day when you aren't on your favorite stream. Enjoy.
~ Ken
About Ken:
Ken graduated from Southern Methodist University
in 1988, and spent the next several years serving
in the United States Navy as an intelligence analyst
and Russian Language translator. He is a veteran
of Desert Shield and Desert Storm. Leaving the
nation's service in 1993.
Ken is also a published outdoor writer and historian,
having penned articles and stories that have appeared
in several national hunting publications like North
American Hunter magazine, on GunMuse.com, in regional
and local newspapers, and historical and literary
journals. He also provides hunting and dog training
seminars for Bass Pro Shops and other sporting goods
retailers nationwide and works with other outdoors
businesses and conservation organizations in the
fields of public relations, promotional marketing,
fund-raising, and advertising. He also is a partner
in Silver Mallard Properties, LLC. He currently
resides with his wife, Wilma, their Weimaraner,
Smoky Joe, and their Labrador Retriever, Jake, in
Branson, Missouri, where he founded the
Branson/Tri-Lakes Chapter of Ducks Unlimited in 1998.
|
