[H.WAY=H×Basser] - Upcycle Robot - Biwako-kun

A playful topwater lure made from recycled materials by an accessory artist who combines bass fishing and art.

●Product variations

*Body material / Eye material / Hook size / Weight

[No. 1] Hinoki / Natural Stone (Smoky Quartz) / #2 / 27g

[No. 2] Hinoki / Natural Stone (Smoky Quartz) / #2 / 29g

[No. 3] Hinoki / Natural Stone (Onyx) / #6 / 27g

[No. 4] Hinoki / Natural Stone (Onyx) / #4 / 26g

[No. 5] Hinoki / Natural Stone (Onyx) / #4 / 24g

The designer is an accessory artist from Kyoto who lives in Nagahama.

Hirohisa Yamada, CEO of Wood-Accessory

He learned to fish in the fourth grade of elementary school, and became fascinated with lure bass fishing in the sixth grade. When he became a high school student, he temporarily left fishing due to his interest in art, and began to study art in earnest, aiming to enter Kyoto University of the Arts. However, he gave up on going to university, and at the age of 20, he worked as a sculptor using sandblasting techniques for 10 years. During this time, he worked with various materials such as wood, metal, and glass, learning about processing techniques and the unique properties of the materials.

After retiring at age 30, he alternated between being unemployed and working part-time for about two years, but at age 24 he resumed bass fishing and became absorbed in it, pursuing fishing using homemade poppers and pencil baits. He also expanded the scope of his fishing by using homemade flies in tenkara and fly fishing.

Turning point to accessories production

One day, the female owner of a Kyoto souvenir shop saw Yamada's handmade lures and suggested, "If you can make something this intricate, why not try making accessories?" This led to Yamada's decision to start making accessories. His name gradually spread through word of mouth, and he began receiving more and more requests for custom orders. He began by exhibiting at exhibitions of handmade works, then expanded his activities to large-scale art and craft exhibitions, and in 2000 he exhibited at Kyoto Daimaru and Kyoto Takashimaya, and expanded his scope of activities to Osaka, Nagoya, and Tokyo.

A commitment to materials and a unique approach

In the early days, struggling with financial difficulties, he disassembled cypress slats he bought at a hardware store and reused them as materials. Through these efforts, he came across offcuts of fine woods such as ebony and rosewood, which broadened his range of materials. Furthermore, through interactions with woodworkers, he had more opportunities to receive offcuts that were too good to throw away, allowing him to continue making products with almost no material costs. These offcuts are rare fine woods that are difficult to obtain in Japan, and are used as part of sustainable resource utilization.

A fusion of bass fishing and accessory making

He had been away from bass fishing for 20 years, but watching videos on YouTube about mountain stream fishing and bass fishing rekindled his passion, so he took his old tackle and tried fishing at Lake Biwa. Catching a 35cm bass for the first time in 20 years completely rekindled his passion for fishing. Since then, he has been going to Lake Biwa in the evenings after work, and fishing five days a week has become a daily routine.

New challenges amid the COVID-19 pandemic

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, exhibits at events such as department stores were canceled, and his source of income was cut off, but he used that time to try his hand at lure making again. Instead of the traditional balsa and cypress, he created lures using precious woods such as ebony and rosewood, incorporating indigo dyeing techniques, and spent his days having fun doing swim tests with them. During this time, he once again realized how grateful he was for the environment in which he could fish at Lake Biwa, and it became an opportunity for him to reevaluate his daily activities and realize that they should not be taken for granted.

Upcycling Initiatives

Fishing line, rusty hooks, and snagged spinnerbait wires found at fishing spots are reused as materials for accessories. This gives form to the spirit of upcycling, which combines environmental awareness with creative activity, resulting in robot-themed lures and accessories. The lures are made using scrap lumber provided by construction companies, with pull tabs from empty cans used for the arms and spinnerbait wire for the blades. Natural stones are embedded in the eyes, creating a design that emphasizes not only appearance but also storytelling.

A work filled with emotion

Yamada's works are not just "lures that catch fish," but are intended to be enjoyed as "artworks" that cherish the stories and thoughts behind them.

Origin of the store name

His passion for fishing and art, which he has had since elementary school, remains a constant connection to this day. The shop name "H.WAY" combines the initials of Hirohisa Yamada and Wood-Accessory, meaning "H (Hirohisa)'s WAY (the path he has walked)."