Kurashiki-hanpu (canvas) bag

Recently I've been using a big white canvas bag, which of course is made in Japan :) Nice spring - summer color, isn't it?

More specifically, this bag is made of "Kurashiki-hanpu", which means hanpu, or canvas cloth, made in Kurashiki-shi, Okayama prefecture.  There are some places famous for the manufacture of canvas in Japan, and Kurashiki is the largest production area where about 70% of domestic canvas product is manufacutured, according to the website of Kurashiki Local Resources Museum (the website is written in Japanese only).  The site says canvas has been manufactured in Kurashiki since the last years of Edo-period - around 1860!

Canvas was originally used for making sails, but now it is often used in bags like this one.  When I bought it, the salesperson at the shop smiled and told me, "I love this because it is really durable and has its unique flavor. I am sure you will love it more as you use it longer." I am looking forward to seeing how it changes with time.

Ibushi-gawara production in Awaji Island

While driving Awaji Island all the way, I realized why I felt something different at some moments.  Most of the houses there have light-grayish kawaras (rooftop tiles) called Ibushi-gawara.  In many areas in Japan, kawaras you would see are black like crows, with some exceptions like red kawaras in Okinawa.

(*Supplementary note: After writing this I realized it's not true! I was born and raised in Hokuriku area where most kawaras are deep black, so I have believed that kawaras are black. But I see various colors of kawaras in my current area in Kansai, like red, light gray, deep gray, blue and green... and kawaras in these different colors are mixed in the town.  So now I guess the reason why I felt different at that time is because I didn't see such kawaras in various colors other than light-gray kawaras in Awaji.) 

Tatsumi, an Ibushi-gawara manufacturer in Awaji, allowed us to look around its factory and gallery.  You see the above picture of part of the company building (or rather it looks like a house), with their beautiful Ibushi-gawaras on its top and those piled up on the ground.

Mr Okitsu, the president of Tatsumi, explained for us the company has been making rooftop decorations in the shape of oni,, which is called "oni-gawara".  Oni is an imaginary demon that appears in many old Japanese tales, but is sometimes described as good existence too.  I guess when the oni-gawara is placed on the roof, it is considered to be a talisman.  Here is one of their biggest oni-gawara.  

It is said production of Ibushi-gawara is a traditional industry in Awaji.  It is said kawaras originally came down from China about 1400 years ago, and production was started here in Awaji a little while after that.

According to Mr Okitsu, the craftsmen of oni-gawara, who are called "oni-shi", make such a big oni-gawara using a mold, but usually they do not use a mold to make kawaras but make them with their hand.  They shape cray used as the material of kawaras into such a complicated and delicate decoration.  The shaped material is baked in a large furnace at about 1000 degrees for 24 hours.  The time taken to finish one product depends on the size and other factors.  In the case of a big one as the oni-gawara in the picture, they say it takes three months. 

When we were looking around the factory, a few craftmen were working.  One of them were making not kawaras but coasters using the same material.  In addition to kawaras, they also make small items like those coasters, flower bases, and even metalophones! (Actually the metalophone is not for sale but just a trial piece.)

I asked Mr Okitsu why they are making such products besides kawaras, and he smiled and said "Of course our main job is making kawaras, we can't make money with these tiny goods.  But sometimes people like you visit us, and we thought they would be happy if they can get some souvenirs here!  And we want them to get more interested in kawaras."

There were as much as several hundreds of kawara factories in Awaji, but the number has reduced to several dozen because of decrease in demand for kawara.  Those small goods and prototypes are Tatsumi's trial and effort to leave their traditional culture of Awaji to posterity.

I got a chopstick rest in the shape of miniture scale kawara before leaving the gallery.

Here's the link of Tatsumi's website (Japanese only, but you can see lots of beautiful products of them!): http://www.tatsumi-oni.co.jp/

Autumn leaves

It's getting chilly day by day, but the beauty of nature is showing its best in this great season!

My friend and I took on a day trip to Kagawa prefecture.  Honestly speaking we decided to go for this trip because of our craving for famous sanuki-udon dishes:) But we found a really nice park called Ritsurin Koen, about 20-minute walk from JR Takamatsu Station.

A tea ceremony room was surrounded by red and yellow leaves, I have seen such Japanese autumn view for long time. And the mountain is just behind the park.

Awaji Island, the place of old myth

I visited Awaji Island in Hyogo prefecture.  According to Kojiki - the oldest existing story on the Deities (called "kami" in Japanese) of Shinto and the process of creation of this country by them - Awaji is the place that was created at first by the deity couple Izanagi and Izanami.  This is considered as the reason why so many shrines exist in this island (unfortunately I cannot find the exact number).  The above picture is surprisingly huge Torii (gate) of Onokoro-jima Shrine.

Almost in the middle of the Island is located a shrine called Izanagi Jingu, where the spirit of Izanagi is enshrined (I guess the reason of enshrining only the "husband" derives from the context of Kojiki, but won't mention it here). 

In the premise of the shrine, there is a old, 30-meter huge sacred tree, which is 900 years old! It is said this tree originally was two separate camphor trees, but their roots were united became a single tree.

The main purpose of this short trip to Awaji was actually not to visit those shrines, but to learn the traditional industry of this island.  I will talk about it later.

Introduction of this blog

Hi I'm Emi from Japan.  I just started this blog mainly to introduce our country's craftsmen and their great products to as many people outside Japan as possible.  You will see some pictures of nice scenery here sometimes.

After three years of stay abroad - in the US and Singapore - I came back and started my life here again about a year ago, and since then I have found many kinds of made-in-Japan products that are handmade by experienced craftsmen and realized how beautiful, elaborate, and practical  they are.  I mean, they are not just beautiful, but in many case useful because those craftsmen make their products considering the users.  I believe this is the spirit of Japanese craftsmen, and hopefully is our spirit as well.

One of the craftsmen I happened to know some months ago is one who engages in production of scissors for industrial use (I hope I will be able to write about him and his factory's products later!). One day I was reading his blog, and one sentence in it jumped into my eyes.

"You haven't made good effort to convey what you want to convey to people, have you?"

The blog says this line is what the author (the craftsman)'s friend said to someone, and these words caught his mind, he says.

I was impressed with them too, and it motivated me to make this blog to convey what I want to convey, that is, one of the greatest and coolest things about Japan to those outside Japan.

As you may know, or maybe not, unfortunately various negative situations is surrounding our country right now concerning, like, politics, economy, diplomacy, etc., etc... Actually those issues make me feed down almost everyday.  But still I love my country because we have those traditional, honest craftsmanship of our own, and I am proud of it so much.  So I chose to make effort to convey them.