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| Dragon woodcarving at Kokuzoson |
■Aizu Mishima Basketry
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| Mishima Kogei Kan |
Mishima district located in Southwest of Fukushima Prefecture in the north part of Japan. Like other Japanese small towns, in Mishima agriculture is the main industry and has been suffer from depopulation. But these days town gains sparks back again due to the traditional Basketry products getting popular among middle aged women who reconsider and realize how beautiful Japanese traditional craft works are.
 
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| From left Yama-budo, Matatabi, Hiroro |
The materials of Basketry can be found in the mountains locally. Most popular materials are called Hiroro, Matatabi and Yama-budo. Hiroro is long wild sedge grass and it's twisted into a cord and then used as a weaving materials. Matatabi is split into thin strips for their use. Bark a Yama-budo vine and the skin is used as a material of Basketry.
Matatabi baskets are mainly used as kitchen products since this material does not absorb water so readily. Hiroro and Yama-budo are mainly used for weaving handbags and baskets. Yama-budo handbags are the most popular products these days and run out very quickly even though the price are very expensive; for example, 30cm x 40cm x 14cm costs 180,000yen (=1,800USD)!
To complete one basket is a year work and this whole process from finding materials to selling at the store is usually done by the one person. These process and techniques have been handed down from one generation to the next for hundred years. You can directly buy those products from makers at
MishimaTraditional Craft Center where operated by the town of Mishima.
In the beginning of August, I visited
Mishima Traditional Craft Center to look for Yama-budo handbags but as a result of Aizu Craft Fair was held in June, most of Basketry products run out and couldn't find much.
■Showa Ramie
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| Karamushi Kogei Hakubutsukan(Museum of Ramie) |
Karamushi(Ramie)-ori is the weave cloth made by the material called Choma (type of Urtica). Now, Showa village is the only place producing Karamushi in Japan other than Okinawa. To complete Karamushi-ori takes more than 10 steps must work together with particular seasons of the year. It's a lot of work but the during the winter, Showa village is well known for heavy snowfall area needed produce some products that is easy to exchange for cash. So since 600 years ago, the people in Showa developed the Karamushi-ori for their lives.
At the
Museum of Ramie and
Karamushiori no sato, you will be able to see various Karamushi products and able to buy them.
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| Lily at Showa |
Karamushi-ori is the part of their lives for the people in Showa village and still try to make better Karamushi weaving products with passions.
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Endoji Fukuman Kokuzoson
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On a way back to from Showa Village, I stopped by the Yanaizu village where the temple called
Enzo-ji Fukuman Kokuzoson. This temple was built almost 1,300 years ago and well known as the god of Tigar and Ox of Oriental
Zodiac
.
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| OX |
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| TIGAR |
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| View from temple |
Temple is located on top of the cliff and has very beautiful view of Tadami River which run through the village. Yanaizu is such a small village has beautiful nature and people, probably one of the best place to know the Japanese country living.
