TENKARA × TAI CHI · 天地 · TEN CHI
Ten Chi
Where tenkara meets tai chi: a relaxed, accurate gesture, total presence, the rod you let do the work.
LISTEN · AUDIO PREVIEW
THE PRACTICE · 練習 · RENSHU
What is Ten Chi?
Tenkara and tai chi share one root: a relaxed yet structured gesture, full presence in the moment, a force born of calm rather than effort.
Others before me have felt this bridge between the two. I have chosen to put it into practice — to make it a discipline, then a teaching.
Ten Chi, the river gesture, is a short sequence where preparing the body and rehearsing the cast become a single movement. It is an ongoing exploration, and I invite you to come along.
THE PRINCIPLES · 原理 · GENRI
Four shared principles.
- 01
Song — relaxation within structure
Relaxed without being limp. You do not force the cast: you let the rod work.
- 02
Fa jin — focused release
Force gathers gently, then releases at once with a sharp stop: the casting stop.
- 03
Ting jin — listening
Tactile sensitivity. With no reel or drag, contact with the fly and the take is direct.
- 04
Ma — the right interval
A sense of timing and spacing: patience between casts, time to let the fly drift.
THREE MODES · 三 · SAN
Three ways to practise.
The same gesture lives in three modes, which also form a progression — from the barest to the closest to real fishing.
Empty hand
No rod. The tai chi pole: learn the body mechanics, anywhere.
Collapsed rod
The folded rod becomes a short weighted baton — a tactile cue, safe, ideal seated or in tight spaces.
Extended rod
Closest to real casting: dry without a line, or complete with a line on the water.
THE TEN GESTURES · 型 · KATA
The ten gestures.
The body prepared and the cast rehearsed, in ten slow movements — ten, like the “Ten” in Ten Chi.
- 01
Ne 根 — The Root
Find your footing and your base: the stable wading stance, before you even fish.
- 02
Kawa no kokyū 川の呼吸 — The River Breath
Open and gather with the breath. The calm between two casts.
- 03
Kata-yurume 肩緩め — Loosening the Shoulders
Release the shoulders, where tension hides. A free shoulder makes a long, easy cast.
- 04
Unshu 雲手 — Cloud Hands
Rotation led by the waist. Power comes from the center, not the arm.
- 05
Te no uchi 手の内 — The Living Hand
Grip and fine hand control: squeeze, release, feel the rod load.
- 06
Tame 溜め — The Load
Draw back toward ten-thirty, feel the rod bend, on the inhale.
- 07
Kime 極め — The Stop
Release toward noon, a crisp stop on the exhale. The stop unrolls the line.
- 08
Miwatashi 見渡し — The Sweep
Sweep the water with your eyes: read the currents and find the lie before you cast.
- 09
Chōkei 聴勁 — Listening
Feel the take through contact alone. With no reel, the connection is direct.
- 10
Taguri 手繰り — Drawing In
Draw the line in by hand, hand over hand: the reel-less tenkara gesture that seals the practice.
«
The river is not only in front of you: it runs through the movement.
— Ten Chi · 天地
Follow the exploration
Ten Chi is an evolving practice. To follow along, start with the foundations of tenkara.
Learn tenkara →
