All Japan Kokeshi Festival 2012 part 3 全国こけし祭り 2012 第3

We got up early the next day and headed directly to Naruko for breakfast at a small coffee shop we ate at the night before. Nice and easy and tasty. By the time we were finished and drove up the hill to the school where the festival was being held it was almost time for the doors to open. The excitement was palpable despite a light rain. Lining the path into the school were a number of booths selling various kokeshi items including books, magazines, chopsticks, and even "kokeshi goods" こけしグッズ, as well as a few food vendors. Of course we checked out the kokeshi items, as there were some great things for sale.

The Kokesh Jidai こけし時代 magazine booth from Kokeshika コケーシカ in Kamakura 鎌倉. These guys are doing absolutely splendid work. 

Another group -- Kochae -- doing really nice kokeshi-related books.

Booths selling kokeshi goods of various sorts.

Emily somehow ended up with this little kokeshi fan -- neat.

The food booths. One of them was run by fisherman from the coast whose business was wiped out in the tsunami last year.

Like last year there was a gate set up so even though it was just a school it felt like we were entering into a special venue. This led to the entryway where a large group was waiting patiently for doors to open. I swear, it felt like the scene in Willie Wonka and the Chocolate factory when the golden-ticket holders were about to enter the chocolate room!

Going in. Even those with poor eyesight would know that this was the right way.

The expectant mob waiting for the doors to be flung open.

This is where you could buy a program, get a poster, and purchase the commorative hand cloth 手ぬぐい.

Entering the venue was even better than Willie Wonka's factory, as we were being transported into kokeshi la-la land with little booths made to look like a traditional Japanese shopping street. Craftsmen from the various regions were sitting in the booths surrounded by their kokeshis, but at this point it was impossible to talk with them because of the wall of people trying to get the choice pieces. Of course they were all choice pieces, but the hardcore kokeshi enthusiasts knew what they wanted and didn't want to mess around. I wasn't looking for anything in particular, so I just wondered about and enjoyed the spectacle.

Here's a good view of how things looked when the event started. Really crowded. And check out all those wonderful kokeshis!

It doesn't look too crowded in this shot, but when on the floor trying to see the craftsmen it was almost impossible to squeeze through. Check out that lady in the center with the basket -- she's running!

Here's our friend and Tsugaru craftsman Ms. Honma Naoko 本間直子さん whom we saw up in Aomori this summer.

Here was one of the lines to make purchases.

Like last year they brought in this old foot-powered lathe for demonstrations.

Our girls could have cared less about the kokeshis, but when they heard that this guy making traditional Japanese animal-shaped candy was going to be there they couldn't wait to get inside.

Next blog -- views of the kokeshis themselves.

All Japan Kokeshi Festival 2012 part 2 全国こけし祭り 2012 第2

The night before the All Japan Kokeshi Festival was a small but important ceremony held at Naruko's Kokeshi Jinja こけし神社. Yes, that's a Shinto shrine for kokeshis, though whether it's solely for kokeshis, or for kokeshi makers, or both, I cannot say.
In warm and pleasant weather we headed up the hill above the tourist area and found the shrine. There was a quiet, solemn atmosphere at the shrine, and a number of kokeshi enthusiasts and craftsmen were sitting in chairs facing two tables covered with old kokeshis. There was also an elevated platform with more used kokeshis behind the group. It was dusk, and as it got dark the ceremony began.
Much of the ceremony consisted of individuals from the Naruko kokeshi community saying a few words to the group. Then a Shinto priest did a few waves of the ceremonial paper thing (I don't know what it's called) while an American film crew from Seattle was on hand gathering footage for a documentary they were making (as was a Japanese videographer).

The shrine grounds before the ceremony began. Those torches were cool.

Old kokeshis. Why are they on this platform?

The Shinto priest doing the ceremony.

See the American film crew?

The Japanese videographer.

Saying a few words. I have to admit that I was pretty much lost by this point.

What came next was a complete surprise. Everyone moved around the kokeshis that were on the platform behind us, and then the whole thing was lit up in a great bonfire. Anyone who was new to this ceremony had to be stunned -- I certainly was -- as the beautiful kokeshis went up in flames. This is probably a good example of where Japanese and American sensibilities about the nature of things diverge, as the Japanese side feels that unwanted objects (ones that look like humans) such as kokeshis should not be merely thrown away. Rather, the ceremony seems to be a way of putting them to rest. Honestly, I cannot imagine something like ever happening this in the US, but I certainly did not find it offensive in any way.  

Lighting the kokeshi bonfire.

There they go.

The event was extremely moving, both because it was sad to see the beautiful kokeshis burning, and also because the dolls do indeed look like small people. The bonfire was enlarged as people came up with more boxes of old kokeshis and threw them on the pyre. As this went on a group of older ladies began singing a kind of dirge, which made the event that much more poignant. Occasionally a smoldering kokeshi would fall off the platform and someone would chuck it back into the fire. I'm at a loss for words on this, except to say that it was sad.

A couple of smoldering kokeshis rolled off the pyre. 

These ladies were singing what must have been a dirge.

Adding more kokeshis.

When the ceremony was over we went up to the shrine and threw in a few coins in the offering box. I no longer felt melancholy, and Naoko was chatting with some friends rather cheerfully. Whatever the deeper meaning of the ceremony is, perhaps it has a purging effect. I'll say this as well: While a burning kokeshi might be a sad sight, so is an old, neglected, unwanted kokeshi gathering dust in corner. This ceremony deals with that problem rather nicely.

All Japan Kokeshi Festival 2012 part 1 全国こけし祭り 2012 第1

Akiyu kokeshis for sale at a rest stop.

Japan's premier kokeshi event has got to be the All Japan Kokeshi Festival 全国こけし祭りheld annually at the end of August and beginning of September at Naruko Onsen 鳴子温泉 northwest of Sendai City in Miyagi Prefecture. As many of you might already know, Naruko is an extremely important kokeshi-making town and its onsen image is intertwined with kokeshi culture. We attended this event last year and had a great time, and decided that we had to go again.
I am certainly glad we did, and over the next few blog entries I'll detail our adventure. I have found that driving up to Tohoku is an integral part of our adventures, so this blog is about what we saw on the way up to Naruko. On Friday, 31 August Naoko, the girls and I got up early for an early departure in order to beat the traffic, picking up my father-in law along the way. Despite being a weekday it was smooth sailing all the way north and soon we were on the outskirts of Sendai. We stopped at a beautiful highway rest area to stretch and get some food, and there we saw some nice Akiyu kokeshis 秋保系 (a branch of Togatta-style kokeshis) for sale. Naoko believes that the craftsman is no longer making kokeshis, so these were probably a good find. However, they were a bit pricey, and besides, we were on our way to kokeshi nirvana so we passed on getting one. Oh well. I have to admit that while at the rest area I did try some cow tongue as a snack since it's Sendai's speciality item 名物. That was the first and likely last time I'll be eating cow tongue...

A beautiful rest stop in Sendai with a traditional Japanese architectural feel. The crescent shape that you see was on the helmet of Date Masamune 伊達政宗, the medieval Daimyo (lord) of the feudal domain that eventually became Miyagi Prefecture. Date is still extremely popular in Sendai nearly 280 years after his death.

Pretty soon we exited the highway and were driving through the beautiful countryside on our way to Naruko. We stopped for lunch at a pizza restaurant which was a converted old Japanese farmhouse 民家. That in itself was real treat, and the pizza was very tasty!

This is a pizza restaurant.

As we drove along we stopped by a national farmers' market chain called Michi no Eki 道の駅 and I spotted a poster for the kokeshi festival -- we were definitely getting close.

Event poster -- we were getting close!

Last year we stayed at an inn in Naruko Onsen and were fairly disappointed with our lodging, so this year we decided to stay at an inn that was about 15 minutes outside of Naruko in Kawatabi Onsen 川渡温泉. Actually, we were just outside the gate for the onsen area right along the main road staying at a place called Chubachi 中鉢. It was reasonably priced, and according to a sign in the bath was a natural onsen that the owners had dug down about 1,000 feet to get to. That was pretty impressive. Anyway, we were very pleased with the place and would definitely go back. If you'd like some more information click here for Chubachi's web site.

The gate leading into Kawatabi Onsen.

Our inn.

The back of Chubachi overlooks a rice field and the nearby hills.

After getting settled into the onsen we headed up Naruko to see what was going on and to attend a very special ceremony that I'll discuss in the next blog. Before that we walked around the town to see what was what and saw the following sites. It's really such an interesting town, so by all means go see it for yourself!

Tohoku University was doing an energy experiment with methane coming out of the ground. Note the kokeshi mascot on the sign.

A drain cover.

Across from the train station was this sign featuring Naruko's official mascot.

A display of kokeshi sake goods in the train station.

The Naruko train station's ticket window.

Looking into the Naruko station window.

A kokeshi display located on the second floor of the train station.

Truly the land of hot baths, this small foot bath was right outside the entrance to the station and was free.