Fly Fishing in the Highland of Nikko, Tochigi
Highland of Nikko & Oze
Highland of Nikko and Oze makes national park where historical fishery was formed in Lake Chuzenji, River Yu, and Lake Marunuma who have been providing angling excitement since the time of Empires both British and Japanese. There is a long forgotten story of angling fanatics of freshwater from both nations gathering in this remote place forgetting about their great ambition and melting into spectacular view of nature.
1873 Sadagoro Hoshino migrates 2,200 white spotted chars to Lake Chuzenji above Kegon Falls 1875 Sir Ernest Satow, translation secretary of British Embassy then, publishes A Guidebook to Nikko 1881 Ministry of Agriculture and Commerce opens hatchery near Nikko 1886 Fishery cooperative is established on Lake Chuzenji by Tozaburo Oshima 1887 Ministry's hatchery begin stocking programme on Lake Chuzenji / first British summer house built 1888 Railway opens between Tokyo and Utusunomiya, capital of Tochigi Prefecture 1889 Thomas Glover fishes Lake Chuzenji for the first time with Rikichi Nakamura, author of Fishing Hooks Chronicles 1890 Railway extends from Utsunomiya to Nikko 1893 Oshima begins stocking programme of trouts on River Yu 1894 Glover builds summer house at Lake Chuzenji 1895 Satow returns to Japan as British Ambassador this time 1896 Satow builds summer house for British Embassy near Lake Chuzenji 1897 Glover fishes River Yu for the first time 1899 Viscount Edward Grey's Fly Fishing is first published from J.M. Dent in London 1902 Glover finances wholly on the stocking of River Yu with brook trout / Anglo-Japan Alliance is signed 1904 Second stocking on River Yu / Russo-Japan War brakes out 1905 Satow's Japanese son, Hisayoshi Takeda establishes Japan Alpine Club and became known as Father of Oze 1911 Revision on Anglo-Japan Treaty of Commerce & Navigation into equal condition signed between Viscount Grey and Count Takaaki Kato 1912 Baron Keijiro Nabeshima and Doctor Hisashi Hijikata fishes Lake Marnuma for rainbow trout 1913 Nabeshima and Hijikata fishes Lake Marunuma again 1914 Marunuma Trout Angling Club is established by Baron Nabeshima and Doctor Hijikata, appointing Viscount Kato as Chair Person 1917 Bus opens between Nikko and Umagaeshi 1923 Hans Hunter, as a member of Marunuma Trout Angling Club, visits Lake Chuzenji and meets Hisaharu Oshima 1925 Tokyo Angling & Country Club is established by Hans Hunter appointing Viscount Kato as President / Bus opens between Nikko and Lake Chuzenji 1927 Hunter buys Glovers' summer house and converts into his club house 1928 Prince Chichibu, Prince Higashikuze, and Prince Asaka become associate members of the club 1929 Prince Henry Duke of Gloucester visits Lake Chuzenji 1934 Nikko becomes State Park