東京国際フォーラム ホールB5
都城大弓
Miyakonojo Bows
ホールB5
Hall B5
竹工品
宮崎県
Miyazaki
鹿児島成（なり）の流れをくむ大弓で、江戸時代後期には盛んに作られていたことが記録に残っています。明治時代に入り、川内地区から来住した楠見親子が多くの弓作りの職人を養成しました。豊富な原材料に恵まれたこともあって、昭和初期には、東アジアにまで製品が売られるような大産地になりました。
戦後、低迷期がありましたが、最盛期には30人近くの弓作りの職人が活躍していました。現在でもわが国で唯一の産地として竹弓の9割を生産しています。
Closely connected with the history of Kagoshima, there are documents verifying that just after the middle of the 19th century, the making of Miyakonojo bows was a thriving local craft and by the end of the century, many bow makers had been instructed in the craft by two generations of the locally residing Kusumi family. Blessed with plentiful supplies of locally obtainable raw materials, the craft developed and by the 1920s bows were being sold in East Asia. Although there was a fall in demand after World War II, at the height of production there were some 30 bow makers active in the area. It is now the country's only production center for bows, 90% of all bamboo bows being made here.Following an established pattern, there are seven joints of bamboo on the forward face and six on the inner face. Although the shape may differ according to who makes it, a good bow is thought to be one with a perfect balance between its upper and lower portions, and one to which consideration has been given to its center of gravity and the distribution of weight after the arrow has been shot. With 9 government recognized Master Craftsmen among them, there are now 15 people employed by 11 firms continuing this long tradition.
真壁石燈籠
Makabe Stone Lanterns
ホールB5
Hall B5
石・貴石
茨城県
Ibaraki
茨城真壁地方は、質の良い花崗岩（かこうがん）が採れることから、古くから石を生活用具として加工、利用していました。
この地方の石材業の起こりは、室町時代末期に真壁町長岡地域一帯で始められた仏石作りであると伝えられています。真壁石燈籠として確認できるものとしては、真壁町の寺院境内にある、文政7年（1824年）に製造されたものが最も古いとされており、これを作った石工によって技術・技法が確立されました。
Good quality granite found in the Makabe area of Ibaraki Prefecture has been used to make a variety of useful articles since ancient times. The actual working of stone in the area began around the end of the Muromachi period (1333-1568) with the making of Buddhist stone articles around Nagaoka in Makabe-cho. The earliest confirmed Makabe stone lantern stands in the temple compound in Makabe-cho. It was made by Kubota Kichibei in 1824, and he was responsible for establishing the skills and techniques of the craft.Special features of these lightly colored lanterns are their superb craftsmanship, the light touch of the beautiful carving and their sense of weightiness. They provide traditional Japanese gardens with an added quality and elegance, their special features being accentuated further by the moss which tends to grow on the stone. Apart from garden items, lanterns and other items are also made for use at shrines and temples. There are now 42 firms employing 86 people, among whom there are 23 government recognized Master Craftsmen sustaining this essential craft.
岡崎石工品
Okazaki Stone Carving
ホールB5
Hall B5
石・貴石
愛知県
Aichi
始まりは室町時代後期に遡ります。その後、安土桃山時代には、現在の愛知県にあった岡崎城主が、城下町の整備のため河内、和泉の石工を招き、石垣や堀を造らせました。
この石工たちが、その技術・技法に磨きをかけ春日型灯籠、六角雪見型等岡崎石工品の原型を作りました。19世紀の初めに29軒だった石屋は、19世紀の終わりには約50軒に増え、戦前、最盛期には350軒を数えましたが、最近は減少しつつあります。
The origins of this craft date back to the latter part of the Muromachi period (1391-1573). It was during the following Momoyama period (1573-1600), however, that the lord of Okazaki castle brought in skilled stone masons from Kawachi and Izumi to carry out some improvements to the surrounding town and had stone walls and moats built. As a way of perfecting their skills and techniques these masons carved Kasuga style lanterns and hexagonal flat-topped Yukimi or "snow viewing" lanterns and it was these that became the prototypes for Okazaki's own stone-carving craft. By the beginning of the 19th century there were 29 stone carving workshops and by the end of the same century there were 50. Before World War II at its peak the town boasted 350 workshops, a number which of late has declined somewhat.The principal item made is the stone lantern. They are an intricate composition of both line and surface embodying a simplicity of both linear and curvilinear beauty. To this is added highly skilled decorative carving providing a delicate elegance to this carved stone craft. Pagodas in miniature are also made as are receptacles for water or plants. There are now 22 firms employing 161 people sustaining this worthy stone craft.