{"id":1154,"date":"2026-06-02T23:33:24","date_gmt":"2026-06-02T23:33:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tenkara.ca\/ten-chi-2\/"},"modified":"2026-06-06T11:53:30","modified_gmt":"2026-06-06T11:53:30","slug":"ten-chi","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/tenkara.ca\/en\/ten-chi\/","title":{"rendered":"Ten Chi"},"content":{"rendered":"

TENKARA \u00d7 TAI CHI \u00b7 \u5929\u5730 \u00b7 TEN CHI<\/p>

Ten Chi<\/h1>

Where tenkara meets tai chi: a relaxed, accurate gesture, total presence, the rod you let do the work.<\/p><\/div>

\"Ten<\/figure>

LISTEN \u00b7 AUDIO PREVIEW<\/p>

THE PRACTICE \u00b7 \u7df4\u7fd2 \u00b7 RENSHU<\/p>

What is Ten Chi?<\/h2>

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.<\/p>

Others before me have felt this bridge between the two. I have chosen to put it into practice \u2014 to make it a discipline, then a teaching.<\/p>

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.<\/p><\/div>

THE PRINCIPLES \u00b7 \u539f\u7406 \u00b7 GENRI<\/p>

Four shared principles.<\/h2>
  1. 01<\/div>

    Song \u2014 relaxation within structure<\/h3>

    Relaxed without being limp. You do not force the cast: you let the rod work.<\/p><\/div><\/li>

  2. 02<\/div>

    Fa jin \u2014 focused release<\/h3>

    Force gathers gently, then releases at once with a sharp stop: the casting stop.<\/p><\/div><\/li>

  3. 03<\/div>

    Ting jin \u2014 listening<\/h3>

    Tactile sensitivity. With no reel or drag, contact with the fly and the take is direct.<\/p><\/div><\/li>

  4. 04<\/div>

    Ma \u2014 the right interval<\/h3>

    A sense of timing and spacing: patience between casts, time to let the fly drift.<\/p><\/div><\/li><\/ol><\/div>

    THREE MODES \u00b7 \u4e09 \u00b7 SAN<\/p>

    Three ways to practise.<\/h2>

    The same gesture lives in three modes, which also form a progression \u2014 from the barest to the closest to real fishing.<\/p>

    Empty hand<\/h3>

    No rod. The tai chi pole: learn the body mechanics, anywhere.<\/p>

    Collapsed rod<\/h3>

    The folded rod becomes a short weighted baton \u2014 a tactile cue, safe, ideal seated or in tight spaces.<\/p>

    Extended rod<\/h3>

    Closest to real casting: dry without a line, or complete with a line on the water.<\/p><\/div>

    THE TEN GESTURES \u00b7 \u578b \u00b7 KATA<\/p>

    The ten gestures.<\/h2>

    The body prepared and the cast rehearsed, in ten slow movements \u2014 ten, like the “Ten” in Ten Chi.<\/p>

    1. 01<\/div>

      Ne \u6839 \u2014 The Root<\/h3>

      Find your footing and your base: the stable wading stance, before you even fish.<\/p><\/div><\/li>

    2. 02<\/div>

      Kawa no koky\u016b \u5ddd\u306e\u547c\u5438 \u2014 The River Breath<\/h3>

      Open and gather with the breath. The calm between two casts.<\/p><\/div><\/li>

    3. 03<\/div>

      Kata-yurume \u80a9\u7de9\u3081 \u2014 Loosening the Shoulders<\/h3>

      Release the shoulders, where tension hides. A free shoulder makes a long, easy cast.<\/p><\/div><\/li>

    4. 04<\/div>

      Unshu \u96f2\u624b \u2014 Cloud Hands<\/h3>

      Rotation led by the waist. Power comes from the center, not the arm.<\/p><\/div><\/li>

    5. 05<\/div>

      Te no uchi \u624b\u306e\u5185 \u2014 The Living Hand<\/h3>

      Grip and fine hand control: squeeze, release, feel the rod load.<\/p><\/div><\/li>

    6. 06<\/div>

      Tame \u6e9c\u3081 \u2014 The Load<\/h3>

      Draw back toward ten-thirty, feel the rod bend, on the inhale.<\/p><\/div><\/li>

    7. 07<\/div>

      Kime \u6975\u3081 \u2014 The Stop<\/h3>

      Release toward noon, a crisp stop on the exhale. The stop unrolls the line.<\/p><\/div><\/li>

    8. 08<\/div>

      Miwatashi \u898b\u6e21\u3057 \u2014 The Sweep<\/h3>

      Sweep the water with your eyes: read the currents and find the lie before you cast.<\/p><\/div><\/li>

    9. 09<\/div>

      Ch\u014dkei \u8074\u52c1 \u2014 Listening<\/h3>

      Feel the take through contact alone. With no reel, the connection is direct.<\/p><\/div><\/li>

    10. 10<\/div>

      Taguri \u624b\u7e70\u308a \u2014 Drawing In<\/h3>

      Draw the line in by hand, hand over hand: the reel-less tenkara gesture that seals the practice.<\/p><\/div><\/li><\/ol><\/div>

      \u00ab<\/p>

      The river is not only in front of you: it runs through the movement.<\/p>\u2014 Ten Chi \u00b7 \u5929\u5730<\/cite><\/blockquote><\/div>

      Follow the exploration<\/h2>

      Ten Chi is an evolving practice. To follow along, start with the foundations of tenkara.<\/p>Learn tenkara →<\/a><\/div><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

      TENKARA \u00d7 TAI CHI \u00b7 \u5929\u5730 \u00b7 TEN CHI Ten Chi Where tenkara meets tai chi: a relaxed, accurate gesture, total presence, the rod you let do the work. LISTEN \u00b7 AUDIO PREVIEW Your browser does not support the audio element. THE PRACTICE \u00b7 \u7df4\u7fd2 \u00b7 RENSHU What is Ten Chi? Tenkara and tai chi […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":4,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-1154","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/tenkara.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1154","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/tenkara.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/tenkara.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tenkara.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tenkara.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1154"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/tenkara.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1154\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1157,"href":"https:\/\/tenkara.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1154\/revisions\/1157"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/tenkara.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1154"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}