Nissin Zerosum Oni Tenkara Honryu 395 (7:3)

Made in Japan.

Signature Tenkara Rod

Nissin’s Zerosum rods are without question among the finest Tenkara rods in the market. In the case of the Oni Tenkara, Nissin looked to start with their best rod and refine it with hands on design input from none other than the famous Tenkara Master, Mr. Masami Sakakibara or as he is referred to in Japan, “Tenkara no Oni” - meaning Tenkara Demon. Needless to say, this rod has exquisite balance, casting ability, and lightness.

Great Casting

Experienced and technical Tenkara anglers will love the Oni Tenkara, but so too will beginners. Why? The rod is among the easiest casting Tenkara rods we have tried, enabling accurate and delicate casts. The rod casts very straight. We were easily and consistenly able to land our fly into a square foot spot on the ground (we must mention there was no wind). We also tested the rod with a variety of lines and asked our testers to rank the rod’s casting ability for each line (see below for video).

The score ranges of our testers were as follows (1-10):

• Daiwa PVC: 9.75 - 10.0

• Kevlar / Colored Furled lines: 9.75 - 10.0

• Nissin 3.5 Level Line: 9.5 - 9.75

• Euro Floating Line: 9 - 9.25

• Nylon tapered line: 8 - 8.5

As the scores indicate, the Oni Tenkara will cast a variety of lines exceptionally well. While the nylon tapered line scored the lowest, I am confident those scores would increase with some practice.

7:3 Action

The Oni Tenkara is a medium action rod, with appreciable stiffness in the center of the rod transitioning to softer flexibility in the upper sections to the tip. Everything is tight and smooth. The Tenkara rating is a Nissin 7:3.

Quantifying the action, we got a CCS of 18 pennies and an RFI rating of 4.5. The RFI rating puts the action on the very edge of “soft-to-medium” action. Still, to us this felt like a Nissin 7:3 rating. Bottom line: this is a light medium action rod that excels in casting dry and wet flies and will also handle moderate nymphing.

Handle Size

The Oni Tenkara has a concave handle which is less pronounced then many other typical Tenkara rods. At its most narrow point, the diamter of the Oni Tenkara was .984” vs. .835” of the Royal Stage. If you have larger hands, you may appreciate the larger diameter, and one of our testers really loved it. For those with smaller hands, though, the handle could be an adjustment.

Big Fish

Nissin touts the Oni Tenkara as a big fish Tenkara rod. The tippet specs for the rod are 5X - 3X. There is no doubt this rod can land big fish, which certainly adds peace of mind. The rod feels robust and can take a bend. With that said, our recommendation is to stick with 5X - 4X.

Final Thoughts

If confidence leads to performance, then the Oni Tenkara has real practical performance value. When you are so confident in your casting and the rod itself, your mind focuses on application. Reading the water and picking out tiny spots to hit (like a seam in the river that is surrounded by threatening branches and brush). Ownership of the Oni Tenkara is both aspirational and practical.