ICHIROYA -Tour J Artisan-

Tour No.01 "Bamboo Craft in Oita"

Introduction of tour

Date : 2005.11.5

Location : Oita
For the first tour we visited a bamboo artisan, Mr. Masato Takae in Oita prefecture. He makes exceptionally beautiful bamboo bags, which we have never seen before. Oita is the famous product center of bamboo, and we can find easily very high and straight stand bamboo groves in the country side. Bamboo items are specialty products of Oita, and many kinds of items are sold as souvenirs. Recently many bamboo items are imported from China, and bamboo industry seems to be in the bad situation. But like Masato, who makes high-end and fashionable items has many fans all over Japan.
Oita prefecture is famous also for hot springs - Yuhuin and Beppu are the very popular resourts. I could see clouds of steam somewhere in the Beppu town and outer.
It was very cold day, Oita had the first snow of this winter. I would like to go to the hot springs and have warm, but I watched a TV program, which introduced very unique 'kote-e' in Ajimu district. Ajimu district is in the west of Beppu, and Takae san also lives there. I abandaned hot springs and decided to go to Ajimu to see kote-e.
Next day I met Takae san, and he brought me to the bamboo craft school, where he also learned and became a teacher later. And I visited his workshops, which is a log house he made by himself!
His bamboo bags are wonderful, and he was very very charming person, as a customer told us!

Snapshot of tour

I visited a bamboo museum and looked interesting bamboo exhibits and went for Ajimu by a car. About 30 minutes drive through foliage moutains I reached a small village in Ajimu. I and taxi driver looked for 'kote-e' around the small town and found them.
'Kote-e' is one of the wall art, whith plasterers, made with 'kote' (trowel). In Meiji period plasterers made relief pictures('e') on the plaster walls of the house. Its designs have oradinarily dragon, tiger and other auspicious or against evil motifs. Kote-e seems to be found all over Japan, but Oita prefecture has largest amount of kote-e left.


	Biggest bamboo basket I have ever seen, which is exhibited at a bamboo museum. How many person can be in?


	Very small and old village in the mountains - Ajimu.


	This house has three kote-e. Tiger, dragon and pine tree in each faces.


	This house is an old sake maker, and has very unique kote-e in the upper part of the front. One man is making sake, and another man are drinking with a lady!


	Plasterers had to make raipidly before the plaster of wall dried ( if the wall dried before kote-e was completed, kote-e parts will be cracked and drop.) So its picture is comparatively simple, but made with vivid and bold compositions.


	I asked a taxi driver what was the most delicious food in this season, and he said 'You should eat Seki-Saba' ( Seki- mackerel). Saba is very popular fish also in Oasaka, but 'Seki' saba live the sea area with very rapid stream, and he said its taste was completely different from ordinary saba. He took me to a fish restaurant. I entered into the unfamiliar restaurant alone, and ordered 'Seki-saba' ( it was 3750 yen for a dish). Seki-saba was bigger than I expected, and more delicious than I imagined!

Next mornig we got together at Beppu JR station. He is very bright and cheerful man, and gave a welcome to me with full smile as below! He took me to the Beppu Industrial Training School Bamboo Craft Department , where he learned bamboo weaving technique. About 15 students are learning there, includes both old men and very young girls.I heard that both learning skills and supporting themselves as bomboo craftmen are not easy. Especially earning enough money is difficult for the recent economic circumstances. But as Takae san says making bamboo crafts looks very interesting and many people still want to become bamboo artisans. Different from modern industries, making bamboo crafts are the consistent processes by an artisan, and it must be great joy.


	Cute Takae san's smile!


	Students are learing bamboo craft making at the school.


	One charm point of bamboo crafts is the color changing. During long time usage, the color change from ivory to beautiful brown as photo shows.

Takae san brought me to his house and workshop by his car. It took about 20 minutes from the station, and his house is in the forest as I imagined before. I astonished to hear that his log house and workshop were made by himself. Of course he is not a carpenter, but he said it was not difficult to build them alone. ( I couldn't imagine!)
His work shop is named 'Onse', and about 10 young pupils are working and learning under him.On that day, we had a sudden heavy snow, and pupils couldn't reach the workshop.
Takae san showed me his handicrafts. He is making various kinds of items, for examples flower vase, basket and others. All his items are elaborately and finely woven, and very beautiful. And bags are most poplar and self-confident works among his items. His bags are elaborately made with traditional techniques, and at a time they are well designed for modern life. In addition he offers 5-Years-Free-Fix-Guarantee to all his bags. He laughed to say that once his bag returned completely squashed, as if it was run by car. He was not confident to be able to repair it, but tried and made it. I felt it might to be excessive service, but he said, 'I want customers to use their bags casually. So they feel easy if they know the bags are fixed always'.


	Takae san's log house in the forest!


	Sudden first snow suprised us. I felt as if I visted the nothern district like Tohoku.


	Inner of log made workshop beside his house. Usually about 10 pupils are making bamboo craft in this room.


	Incredibly beautiful Takae san's soulful work!