There may only be a handful of truly famous Tenkara Masters and even fewer who put all their experience and knowledge into a rod design. One such angler is Hiromichi Fuji. And those rods are the Air Stage Fujiryu Tenkara rods. The most popular of these rods being the 360 series in both the 5:5 and 6:4 profiles.
Fujiryu rods come with a wood handle that is about 7 inches long. In today’s world of rods most would consider this a short handle. However, anglers that own this rod do not describe any problems with the shorter length and enjoy the feel of wood over cork as the overall unique experience this rod offers.
As typical with rods from Japan these do not come with a rod case. Also different is the included rod cap over the more traditional plug
The 6:4 rods have a faster more responsive action that suites itself well to various forms of Tenkara styled fishing. While probably best suited for a 3.5 line you won’t have any problems going up/down a line size. Furled lines also cast wonderfully on these rods. The faster action is equally productive casting unweighted kebari or bedhead nymphs. The rods also work well for euro styled nymphing techniques.
Measurements for the Air Stage Fujiryu 360 6:4:
Collapsed length (with tip cap): 52 cm.
Extended length: 373.5 cm.
Weight (without tip cap): 80.6 g.
The 6:4 410 model has similar characteristics of the 360. A little more reach and versatility throwing heavier lines along with larger fly’s. However, can still cast any fly and line the 360 can cast. Just like the 360 a perfect choice for contact/euro nymph style fishing. All the Fujiryu rods offer outstanding strike detection and the resulting hook sets are fast and decisive.
Extended length: 413 cm.
Collapsed length (with tip cap): 52 cm.
Weight (without tip cap): 87.0 g.
The 6:4 330 also does everything the 360 will do just a little shorter. Perfect for when you want to have all the capabilities of the 360 while fishing smaller streams or tighter quarters.
Extended length: 3.25 meters.
Collapsed length (with tip cap): 52 cm.
Weight (without tip cap): 75.0 g.
All the 5:5 versions look the same in both size and aesthetics with a few slight variances. However, the flex profile on these rods are smoooooth. A 3.5 line will work very well and the rods are capable of going lighter with some anglers liking a 3.0 or less! These rods are famous in the Tenkara community for their traditional Japanese action. These are the perfect rods for unweighted kebari and dry’s on lighter level line and tippets. Smooth easy casting to finicky trout on clear days, you can’t get any more finesse than this.
