全国くらしの工芸展 11/25（金）〜11/27（日）　会場：サンドーム福井

大館曲げわっぱ

Odate Bentwood Work

木竹品

秋田県

Akita

関ヶ原の戦いで負けた豊臣方の武将であった佐竹義宣が、徳川幕府によって、それまでの領地であった水戸から秋田へ移転させられた時、秋田の領民の暮らしはとても貧しく、その日の食べ物に困る者さえあるくらいでした。
大館城主となった佐竹西家は、領内の豊富な森林資源を利用して貧しい状態を打開するため、下級武士たちに命じて、副業として曲げわっぱの製作を奨励しました。また農民には、年貢米の代わりとして、山から城下まで原木を運ばせたと言われています。製品は酒田・新潟・関東等へ運ばれました。

Satake Yoshinobu was a military commander who fought with Toyotomi Hideyoshi at the battle of Sekigahara in 1600. Hideyoshi was vanquished and Satake was ordered by the Tokugawa Shogunate to move from his former domain of Mito to Akita in the extreme north of Honshu. He found the people there were very poor and some did not even have enough to eat. As castellans of Odate castle, the western branch of Satake family set about trying to relieve the poverty of their people by using the rich supplies of timber to be found in the fief. First, low ranking warriors were ordered to make bentwood goods on a part-time basis. Then, instead of paying their annual tribute in rice, the people were made to fetch the wood required for this bentwood work down from the surrounding mountains. There was soon enough work to sell in such places as Sakata, Niigata and far off Edo and its environs.Full advantage is taken of the grain and scent of Akita's own supplies of cedar wood, which is also highly flexible. Exemplifying the concept of simple is beautiful, this craft makes the most of the fine grade timber with its fresh red and pale yellow coloring combined with its beautifully tight grain and lightness. A vast range of products is still being made by 10 nationally recognized Master Craftsmen, who are among the 60 employed by the 9 firms in and around Odate. They produce tubs for rice, water jugs, trays of various kinds, bento boxes, and even coffee cups and beer tankards. All are beautiful examples of a simple craft.

樺細工

Akita Cherry-Bark Work

木竹品

秋田県

Akita

樺細工は、18世紀末に、佐竹北家により、秋田県北部の阿仁地方から角館に技法が伝えられたのが始まりとされています。
佐竹北家の城主に手厚く保護を受けた樺細工は、下級武士の副業として広まりました。明治時代に入ると、禄を失った武士が、収入を得るために本格的に取り組んだことで、今日の原型と言える作品が作られるようになりました。

It seems that cherry-bark work goes back to the end of the 18th century, when the techniques were passed on to the people in Kakunodate by the Satake Kita-family from the Ani district in the north of Akita Prefecture. The production of cherry-bark goods was given the patronage of the feudal lord to which the Satake Kita- family was attached and was taken up by lower-ranking samurai, firstly as a part-time occupation. Then at the beginning of the Meiji period (1868-1912) this work became a major source of income for them after they lost their warrior status. They then started to produce the prototypes of today's cherry-bark goods.Made from the bark of wild cherry, this work cannot be found anywhere else in Japan. There are about twelve different types of bark including amekawa, chirashikawa and hibikawa, the choice of bark depending of the article being made. The variations of the bark mean that no two pieces are ever the same. Nearly always applied to a carcass, many different articles can be made using this very appealing natural material but one of the most effective celebrations of its qualities is for tea caddies. There are 11 government recognized Master Craftsmen among the total of 300 staff now employed by the 103 firms leading this small craft industry.

川連漆器

Kawatsura Lacquer Ware

漆器

秋田県

Akita

鎌倉時代にこの地方を支配していた領主の弟が、地元の山から切り出されたブナの木や漆を利用して、武具に漆を塗ることを内職として家臣に命じたのが始まりとされています。
本格的に椀作りが始まったのは江戸時代中期からで、後期には今の川連、大館、三梨の3地区を中心に発展し、一般生活用品の産地として栄えました。

The beginnings of this craft go back to the Kamakura period (1185-1333), when the younger brother of the lord of the fief who ruled this area, ordered the retainers to take up lacquering pieces of armor and weaponry as a job, using locally tapped lacquer and Japanese beech cut from the mountains in the area. The making of bowls began in earnest in the middle of the Edo period (1600-1868) and by the end of the period work was concentrated on the three districts of Kawatsura in what is now Inakawa-cho, Odate and Minashi and the making of everyday pieces of household goods flourished in what had become a production center.The carcasses of all the pieces are made of wood on to which natural lacquer is applied. There is no one particular feature that characterizes this ware but, because emphasis is placed on the undercoating to produce a very hard finish, it is extremely robust and is also reasonably priced. A wide variety of products are produced ranging from bowls, plates, trays and stacking boxes up to items of furniture. There are 177 firms employing 620 people, among whom 38 are government recognized Master Craftsmen all dedicated to the perpetuation of this fine japanned craft.