Story and Artwork by Yoshikazu Fujioka

Yoshikazu Fujioka is a fly fisherman and an artist who lives in Kyoto, Japan.

He works as a designer of commercial display spaces, but his true passion comes out in his paintings of animals, plants - and trout.

He started fishing in 1975, and was immediately struck by the beauty of the sport - and the trout that were his quarry.

"I was deeply moved by the beauty of the trout which I caught in my first fishing," he says. " Since then I began to draw trouts and streams as another pleasure of fishing. With my pictures I hope I can send feelings of seasons. . .and, of course, vivid expressions of lovely trouts."

One of the first places he fished was the Shokawa River, where he visited a small town, Shirakawago Hirase, known as The Mountain Village.

When he writes of his fishing, he refers to The Mountain Village not so much as if it is a town, but a place where trout reside - almost as if it were a magical place, to which you can gain entry only with a fly rod and keen eyesight.

If you fly fish for trout, surely you will recognize The Mountain Village; it seems as if we have all been there. It is the kingdom of the trout.

Mr. Fujioka writes that over the years he has become more appreciative of the natural elements that surround fishing. He counts among his blessing from a fishing trip not just the trout raised and banked, but the birds he hears singing, the scent of flowers, the animals he sights, and the sounds he hears.

These are the things that make fishing great to him, and he wishes he’d tuned in to it all a lot sooner.

"When I look back on my fishing today, I notice that only recently have I began to have the composure of mind to really enjoy being part of the nature," writes Mr. Fujioka.

"I was fascinated by the results of fishing when I first began fishing. I regret that I did not notice the beauty and the richness of nature.

"Not only Trouts but also river crows, water wagtails, kingfishers, sables, foxes, worms and butterfly, tree of mountain, and even the sky meets me every twice with different expressions."

Somehow, in his broken English, Mr. Fujioka seems to capture the essence of how we feel about a sport that draws us into nature, and makes us feel so much a part of the great landscape.

"Even the sky meets me every twice with different expressions," he says, somehow bending the language to perfectly express what it’s like, to look up from the water to a changing sky.

In Japan, as everywhere, trout fishermen are witnessing a decline in nature, and in their sport.
Mr. Fujioka comments on that with a sense of sadness.

"We are attracted by the pure nature, but the nature is sacrificed for human life," he says.

"Year after year, land developement for leisure facilities and construction of rivers and roads progress for people's convenience. But the size of fish is getting smaller and smaller. And there are more and more dust in the river.

"I could fish Yamame when I began fishing. But now I can't fish them very much and can fish only Amago," he says, referring to two types of Japanese trout.

Mr. Fujioka believes that the beautiful kingdom of the trout will be preserved for our children’s enjoyment, only if we reflect on the importance of nature, and do whatever we can to preserve it.

Who could argue with that?

You can see some of his work on our Feature page. We hope it gives you reason to pause, and reflect on what a wonderful sport fly fishing is.