Sakunami Kokeshi Adventure 作並こけしの冒険

Straight ahead to Sakunami

Last December as it started growing cold Naoko, the girls and I headed for a three-day adventure at Sakunami Onsen 作並温泉 and Sendai City 仙台市 to see if we could find some snow, onsens, and kokeshis. I'll say up front that we found all three, and while we've had lots of great kokeshi adventures in the past this trip overall was superb.
In the previous two posts I discussed our trip to the Kamei Art Museum and the Sendai Traditional Crafts fair. Both of those jaunts occurred in the middle of our adventure, and were auxiliary to our main mission of getting to Sakuknami Onsen, a small onsen town in the mountains due west of Sendai. Sakunami-type kokeshis are a somewhat minor family, known for their long, narrow body shape that tapers toward the bottom. Sakunami is also important in the history of kokeshis for being the influence of the Yamagata kokeshi tradition 山形系こけし.
Once again we got on the Tohoku Expressway and had a smooth drive north through Ibaraki Prefecture, Fukushima Prefecture, and into Miyagi Prefecture which I'm starting to realize is, in terms of sheer numbers of kokeshi makers, the heart of the traditional kokeshi world. Using our trusty iPad we navigated to the Sakunami Onsen exit and easily found the national road into the mountains. As soon as we started going up in elevation the snow flurries began, so we had already started meeting one of our three objectives: snow. I was not concerned mind you -- we had purchased tire chains just in case and thus were well prepared for the white stuff.
After a lunch of ramen and gyoza we entered the mountains in earnest and the snow flurries increased. At last we passed the Sakunami Onsen train station and there was a building that had "Kokeshi Workshop" written on the outside in giant script! Unfortunately, it was shuttered so we kept driving. The path got noticeably steeper and I was starting to wonder if I might need the chains, but the road remained fully drivable with summer tires and before we knew it we were at our hotel, Katakuri Inn かたくりの宿. I won't dwell on it except to say that we chose it because it had its own onsen (pretty spectacular), and it was reasonably priced. Lodging tends to make travel in Japan fairly cost prohibitive, so that was important. Oh yes, we asked for no meals, which was fine with us. Meals are another thing that raise lodging prices through the roof in this country. Verdict: Katakuri Inn was a good place to stay.
Alright, now to the kokeshi part of the tale. In Sakunami Onsen, home of the Sakunami-type kokeshi 作並系こけし, there remains just one kokeshi maker, Mr. Hiraga Teruyuki 平賀輝幸さん. A true gentleman kokeshi maker, Mr. Hiraga works out of the same old wooden building where his father and grandfather created their kokeshis, and it was just a few minutes drive up the hill from our hotel. I have a kokeshi book from 1961 that shows a photo of the outside of the shop, and by God it hasn't changed one bit in fifty years!
We showed up at Hiraga Kokeshi and Mr. Hiraga welcomed us right in. Born in 1972 he's a fairly young craftsman, which probably explains his willingness to experiment with new types of traditional kokeshis. Non-traditional traditional kokeshis? Ha! But it's true, and according to Naoko it's this sensibility that has made Mr. Hiraga quite popular, especially among younger women. I have to say that I loved the shop, especially the workshop area that he keeps warm with a wood-burning stove. We chatted for a while about the Sakunami kokeshi world, finding out that the kokeshi shop we saw by the train station was no longer in business. Mr. Hiraga also mentioned that his 93-old grandfather was thinking of making kokeshis again, though I'm sad to report that on 14 February 2012 the elder Hiraga passed away. He had been making kokeshis since 1931 (!), so he had a long, long life making people happy with his creations.

The Hiraga kokeshi workshop.

We ended up purchasing a number of very interesting Hiraga kokeshis, including some of his popular Christmas kokeshis that I showed in a blog last December, and then left for the evening. However, we couldn't help ourselves and returned to say goodbye the next morning and were treated to coffee, snacks, and Mandarin oranges. A good deal of snow had fallen over night so I stayed outside with the girls and played in the snow while Naoko talked more with Mr. Hiraga. The next day we returned to Sakunami one more time to go to the spectacular Ichinobo Onsen 一の坊温泉 (go if you can -- absolutely top notch) and dropped by a final time to the Hiraga Kokeshi shop. Once again we were warmly welcomed in and had another pleasant meeting with this fine kokeshi maker.
Sakunami Onsen is much different from other kokeshi towns we've visited, most glaringly in that there is only one kokeshi maker there. However, it's a special place and we loved it, and will definitely be going back in the future.

A closed kokeshi workshop in Sakunami. 

Katakuri Inn's outdoor onsen. 

One of Mr. Hiraga's Santa kokeshis.

Innovative non-traditional traditional kokeshis.

A kneeling kokeshi with hands! 

Mr. Hiraga Teruyuki in his workshop.

At the lathe.

A traditional Sakunami face, head, and hairstyle.

A trio of beautiful kokeshis.

Though hard to tell, these are all large-scale kokeshis.

Santa kokeshis and two traditional Sakunamis that sometimes taper so narrowly on the bottom that they include a removable stand. We bought the one on the right.

These are by Mr. Hiraga's father, Mr. Hiraga Ken'ichi 平賀謙一さん who passed away a few years ago.

Sakunami-type kokeshis.

More of the large-scale kokeshis. Really handsome.

The Hiraga shop's own kokeshi wrapping paper, part of the ephemera of the kokeshi world. 

Close up of a Hiraga kokeshi being painted.

A beautiful face.

Kokeshi art.

More kokeshi art.

Hand-painted kokeshi calendar.

Another kokeshi calendar.

The Hiraga Kokeshi workshop after a snowfall.

Enjoying refreshments in the workshop.

Night view of the spectacular Ichinobo Onsen. Snow and onsens go together perfectly.

We found this sweet senbei at the Ichinobo gift shop. Really tasty!

Night view of the Hiraga Kokeshi workshop. Naoko and the girls went back in one more time while I cleaned the car of snow and put on the snow chains.

More snacks with Mr. Hiraga around the wood-burning stove.

A good view of the shop.

Traditional Arts Exhibition in Sendai 伝統工芸逸品展in仙台市

Everything came together splendidly on our Sakunami-Sendai kokeshi adventure back in December 2011. Good onsens, good food, friendly people, and lots and lots of kokeshis. Rather serendipitously, right around the corner from our hotel in downtown Sendai was a traditional arts exhibition featuring the handicrafts of Tohoku (plus Niigata Prefecture, which for some inexplicable reason is not considered part of Tohoku). There were all sorts of amazing handmade items on display and for sale, but of course we went for the kokeshis. Sendai, you should know, is a true kokeshi town, and in the old days there was actually such a thing as a Sendai-style kokeshi 仙台系こけし. How and when Sendai kokeshis were reclassified is not entirely clear to Naoko and me (this calls for an investigation!), but there are still fairly large numbers of kokeshi makers who reside in and around Sendai City.

Downtown Sendai. The exhibition took place in the building on the left.

When we went to the exhibition there was one kokeshi craftsman -- 32-year old Mr. Sato Yasuhiro 佐藤康広さん from Sendai -- on hand demonstrating his craft on portable lathe in the exhibition hall. Unfortunately, photography wasn't allowed in that area so I can't show him working. His father Mr. Sato Masahiro was scheduled to show up after we left. The younger Sato was making small tops when we got there, and then we saw him back in the sales area which had a wonderful selection of his, his father's and other kokeshis from Sendai and nearby Naruko Onsen. Mr. Sato is a fairly young kokeshi craftsman who makes Togatta style kokeshis 遠刈田系, and he was delighted to hear that our daughters actually play with the kokeshis in our collection as dolls. This is apparently pretty rare, as most kokeshis sold to enthusiasts are destined for high places out of the reach of grubby little hands. I also had the chance to chat a bit with a gentleman (whose name I've forgotten) from a kokeshi enthusiasts' group in Akita Prefecture similar to the Tokyo Kokeshi Tomo no Kai.    

Exhibition sign.

Naoko chatting with Mr. Sato whose kokeshis can be seen on the center right.

This sign says "Miyagi Traditional Kokeshi" and was sponsored by the Miyagi Traditional Kokeshi Mutual Aid Association.

Mr. Sato's kokeshis and tops.

Some Naruko kokeshis. Naruko Onsen 鳴子温泉 is also a major kokeshi mecca in Miyagi Prefecture, and Naruko craftsman Mr. Okazaki Seiichi 岡崎斉一さん was also at the exhibition.

A display of Naruko-style nesting dolls.

The kokeshis in the front are hollow and would be perfect for chopsticks or pens.

Hina kokeshis for Girls Day (Hina Masturi).

Close up of Mr. Sato's kokeshis. From what I can tell Sendai kokeshi makers seem to prefer using white wood.

As you can see this was a really nice event of the sort that one can only find in Japan. Even without the kokeshis it would have been well-worth attending, but of course seeing the kokeshis made it that much better. A kokeshi adventure? I think so.

Kamei Art Museum in Sendai 仙台のカメイ美術館

The book.

Last 19-22 December Naoko, the girls and I went on an early winter kokeshi adventure to Sakunami Onsen 作並温泉, Akiu Onsen 秋保温泉, and Sendai City 仙台市, about a five-hour drive via the Tohoku Expressway from our home in western Tokyo. I'll explain the trip over the next couple of blogs, but I thought I'd start with our visit to downtown Sendai's Kamei Art Museum カメイ美術館 which has a wing devoted to kokeshis. What makes this particular collection of interest is that while we were visiting there was a collection of brand new representative kokeshis from every kokeshi maker in Japan. The reason for this is that Kamei has produced a handbook called the Traditional Kokeshi Artist File 伝統こけし最新工人緑 which contains photos and background information on all of Japan's traditional kokeshi makers. The book also includes pictures of two of everyone's kokeshis, which are the ones that were on display in the Kamei museum. A pretty good deal for both the museum and craftsmen, and I'll discuss this beautiful, though expensive (2,500 yen) little book in a future blog. Even though it is 100% in Japanese, I highly, highly recommend this book for all traditional  kokeshi enthusiasts.

Should we go right? Or left? Left!

Anyway, Naoko wanted to go the museum to get the newest edition of the handbook that had just come out in late November, so our timing was perfect. The book isn't all that easy to get a hold of even in Japan, so going right to the source ensured that we would get a copy. Fortunately part of new kokeshi collection was on display, and I took a few pictures of them which are posted below. According to the Kamei web site, we only saw the first display, which was followed by two more shows in the months after we left. That's a lot of kokeshis! For more information on the Kamei Art Museum and its kokeshi projects here's a link to the web site (Japanese): http://www.kameimuseum.or.jp/

Kokeshis by our friends the Satos from Iwaki, Fukushima.

While we were definitely in a museum (which has an amazing butterfly collection, as well as a paintings on a different floor), the kokeshi wing was also something of a research room that contained a very nice library of kokeshi books and a table for reading. There was also a little gift shop with kokeshi goods (mostly from Kokeshika, a kokeshi/matryoshika shop in Kamakura) and small selection of books. We were happy to find a rather rare, scholarly kokeshi book from 1980 on the Sendai kokeshi tradition -- Naoko's been very pleased with it. By the way, the museum staff was extremely pleasant and helpful. By all means check out Kamei the next time you're in Sendai. 

The pinkish room in the back is the kokeshi wing. You can see Naoko conducting some kokeshi research at the reading table.

The library.

Kokeshi goods.

Also in the kokeshi area were a couple of pieces of kokeshi art. I've really come to like this kokeshi-related artistic tradition which goes way back, though how far back is not entirely clear to me - maybe the 1920s? Here's a photo of one of the pieces. I need to learn more about this.