[VILLAGE Report vol.42] This shore makes 90% of Japan’s inkstones | Miyagi Prefecture

Miyagi Prefecture’s nationally designated crafts are Miyagi traditional kokeshi dolls, Ogatsu inkstones, Naruko lacquerware, Sendai chests these four items.

The Inkstone You Used at School May Have Come From Here

Ogatsu inkstones have accounted for the majority of inkstone production in Japan. quarried in the Ogatsu district of Ishinomaki City Ogatsu stone a black slate.

The distinctive feature of Ogatsu stone is that its surface has fine, needle-like particles. These particles grind the ink stick and allow it to be rubbed smoothly.

In the Nara issue (vol.19), more than 90% of ink sticks are made in Nara we wrote.

Ink sticks are Nara, inkstones are Miyagi, brushes are Hiroshima, Nara, and Aichi, and paper is made nationwide.

For the single act of calligraphy, production areas across Japan divide their roles.

The Ogatsu district suffered major damage to its workshops and tools in the tsunami of the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake. Even so, inkstones are still carved here today.

Kokeshi Have Lineages

Miyagi traditional kokeshi dolls are not a single form.

There are five lineages: Naruko, Sakunami, Togatta, Yajiro, and Hijiori. The way the head is attached, the shape of the body, and the patterns painted on it are all different.

When you turn the head of a Naruko kokeshi, it makes a squeaking sound. This is not decoration, but a sound that naturally comes from the structure in which the body and head are fitted together.

Kokeshi originally were souvenirs from hot spring areas, made by woodturners as winter work. in total.

Like Nagiso rokuro woodturning from Nagano (vol.28) and Shogawa hikimono woodturning from Toyama (vol.32), the skill of turning and shaving wood is where it comes from.

Chests with fittings hammered on

Sendai chests The feature of heavy decorative metal fittings it is. Dragons, Chinese lions, peonies, arabesques. They are made by hand-carving iron plates.

Woodwork, lacquer, and metal fittings. It is a collaboration among three crafts.

It is like the seven crafts of Hikone Buddhist altars from Shiga (vol.21) and the three-person teams of Edo woodblock prints from Tokyo (vol.34).

Incidentally, paulownia chests appeared in Wakayama, Niigata, Saitama, and Osaka. Sendai chests are not made of paulownia, but use materials such as zelkova and chestnut. Because the purpose is different. Paulownia is for storing kimono; Sendai chests are for being seen.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q. Is Naruko lacquerware different from Aizu lacquerware?
A. No. One representative technique of Naruko lacquerware is kijiro-nuri, a finish that deliberately shows the wood grain. It follows the same idea as Gifu’s Hida Shunkei (vol.26) and Kanagawa’s Odawara lacquerware (vol.35).

Next issue, we go to Yamagata. It is a story about shogi pieces.

References: Miyagi Prefecture, Ishinomaki City, Osaki City, Sendai City, Association for the Promotion of Traditional Craft Industries

—The Value Village Editorial Team

Photo: 海獺 / CC BY-SA 4.0 (Wikimedia Commons)