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The Takaoka Craft Ichiba-Machi [lit., “street market”] is a festival of people, food, and crafts held in Takaoka, a town of craftsmen dating back to the Edo era. This year, the YouTube channel “Ichiba-Machi TV” was premiered with content distributed online. More than 50 episodes were created entirely from scratch without aid from any production companies. On the penultimate day of the two-week broadcast, I visited the venue, full of excitement and laughter.
Front: Kazufumi Nosaku of Iromasa Metalworking (left), Toyohiko Fujimoto of Shimatani Case Buddhist Altar Workshop (right). The camera crew at the back represent ancestors who’ve returned for a visit!
Mis – ter Bud – dha! Put your hands together, let the chant flow!?
I think you forgot something… There’s souvenirs from the grave!
The highlight of the Ichiba-Machi TV was “Takaoka Craf-Turismo TV,” a tour of Takaoka’s copper- and lacquerware workshops, members of an industry dating back more than 400 years. The rap music featured on the program is original work by the Takaoka Traditional Industries Youth Association (hereafter referred by their Japanese moniker “Den-san”), and is vocalized by the local artisans(!).
The channel name is “Meido no Odosan Channel” [“souvenir of the underworld”], and the limited-time webstore, “Suveni-ya” is a portmanteaux of “souvenir” with the Japanese word ya, meaning “shop.” The film crew were decked out in zombie makeup to be a “crazy” film crew of reanimated ancestors. Have you ever heard of a “traditional” craft production area that was this wild?
The playful language of the “ancestors” happily cheering “Takaoka copperware has the greatest market share in Japan!” is of the same spirit inherited across the generations of crafters since the Edo era.
Of course, the core content is presented with all seriousness. For example, in “Craft Tourism TV, vol. 2” shows how artists handle the division of labor in their production areas. In it, Fujimoto, a metalworker, creates standing bells and Nosaku, a coloring artisan, applies color to Fujimoto’s work.
Yet even there, I found more familiar topics that made me smile, such as the stories of how Fujimoto, who used to be a wholesaler, became a standing bell craftsman after getting married to a business contact, and the story of Mr. Nosaku, who himself recently became a Youtuber.
Nosaku says, “I used to be a chef, and many of my peers who worked at video game companies, but we were able to become crafters after various other jobs. I wonder if that’s how we were able to be flexible enough to handle the [coronavirus] situation this year.”
Nosaku’s “coloring” technique is not an application of paint, but by deliberate chemical discoloration of the
metal, often with the use of fire.
A selection of items available through Suveni-ya. The plates are forged by Fujimoto and colored by
Nosaku.
Takaoka copperware has primarily centered around items used in Buddhist ceremonies but recently has
branched out into products for the home.
Standing bell made by striking forged metal.
Both Nosaku and Fujimoto have also appeared in the “Teiten Kanshoku” [“observing a fixed point”] program, in which the camera is set on the hands of the artisan for three hours straight. There is a sense of absorption and ease in watching the crafter’s hands laboring consistently to complete a work, without commentary.
The program was a timeless experience seeing the perspective of the craftsman making a piece from start to finish. Of all the content available through the Ichiba-Machi TV, it was my favorite.
This one depicts the slow process of painting a lacquerware masterpiece. Some people have played the video for background noise, citing the pleasant sounds.
“For those of you who missed the streams in real time, definitely check out Ichiba-Machi TV, which has a variety of content available anytime!” —Executive Committee Chairman, Kunimoto
From left to right: Vice Executive Committee Chairman Yukio Arita, Executive Committee Chairman Kotaro Kunimoto, and Public Relations Officer Miyu Gorai
“People who love Takaoka from all over the country joined the online ribbon-cutting ceremony, and I was moved by the number of faces I saw. I wonder if it’s the culmination of the hard work of the street fair’s work over the last nine years. Ichiba-Machi produces many things, but the event itself has deepened bonds between Takaoka and many people.”
The event was launched in 2011. As the event was held over the years, it began to follow a routine, but the need for an online platform opened up new possibilities.
“It feels like the event has new blood, and having the event online means more people can access it. I think this year’s experience will be very helpful for next year. If this were any other crafting region, I think ‘Souvenirs from the Underworld’ would earn some flak, but I can take the blame, so go for it! [Laughter.]”
Through the Suveni-ya shop, souvenirs could be ordered through the “semi-order system,” by which customers interact directly with artisans via video conferencing to make custom orders. The store sold out
almost immediately.
For example, from the maki-e accessories category, customers could select from brooches, pendants, hair
clips, and earrings and specify the placement of gold embellishments and lacquer coloring.
Maybe its their generosity or good taste, but it seems there are many people around the Takaoka Craft Ichiba-Machi who don’t want to just be a casual customer. They want to get involved with the creation side of things.
“I think the Internet is a great tool to increase the number of ways people can be involved,” says Public Relations Officer Gorai. “When I requested fans of Takaoka to join an online-ribbon cutting ceremony, I can’t tell you how elated they were! And since the content will be around for a long time, we hope people will use it to prepare for a visit to Takaoka in the future.”
Preparations for this year’s street market began with a study session on online distribution. Technical support for the “DIY” content creation was provided not by professional production companies, but by Vice Executive Committee Chairman Arita and the students of the University of Toyama School of Art and Design, who were involved as apart of an industry-education collaboration project class. For the artisan interviews, titled “9Q,” students led the planning, filming and editing, and for the online shopping program, “Kotokoto Shopping,” they led the recording, filming, and editing along with three female designers.
“I have the impression that the next generation doesn’t simply imitate the excellence of their predecessors, and that they take a different approach with expression. People in different generations see the traditional industries differently. They don’t have the sense of these things being ‘old.’ It resonates as something new. I think we’re at a big turning point.”
The music event, “Ichiba-Machi Night,” served as the event’s climax. It was set at Nosaku’s studio,
chosen as it was a place customers could not enter as a live audience.
“Great work, Hihi’s Ichiba-Machi Radio!” aired for five days prior to the release of the Ichiba-Machi TV
content. Hihi (pictured left) has been involved in the Takaoka Craft Ichiba-Machi since he graduated from the
University of Takaoka School of Art and Design.
Students of the University of Takaoka School of Art and Design who participated in the 2020 class project.
Students and alumni of the University of Takaoka School of Art and Design have a large presence in the Ichiba-Machi. Takumi Azechi, an exhibiting artist and curator of the group exhibition “Takaoka de Sumu,” the only such collection held in person this year, has been working as an artist in Takaoka since graduation.
Lacquer artist Takumi Azechi.
“I’m from Kyoto, where there are many crafters, but I’m not familiar with them. Takaoka feels more connected, like I can meet other artists for a drink. ‘Craft’ itself has a sense of presence in the city, and it gives me a foundation for how what we want to express can be incorporated into our lives.”
Azechi’s dry lacquer work transforms the space around it, giving a feeling that time has passed within the building. I was surprised by the power of his work, and then by my own appreciation of it.
Seven artists, all alumni of the University of Takaoka, worked with various media: lacquer, oil paint, sculpture, acrylics, pencils, metalworking, etc. The works had a unique feel against the cracks in the walls and the texture of the floor here on the 4th floor of the Seisen Building, along the main street of the historic Yamacho-suchi district where the Takaoka Craft Ichiba-Machi is usually held.
A painting by Ryuichiro Kawaue. The wall appears almost to have been made to showcase the work.
Chiaki Yamada, Yumekui no Yoru, [“A Night of Dream-eating”]
Takumi Azechi, Seki no Yama, [“A Mountain of Much”]
] Ichiba-Machi TV also hosts a talk show featuring the artists, with a theme of “from the artist’s
perspective.”
The best part of Ichiba-Machi TV was the crafters. On “Craft Tourism TV, vol. 1,” a discussion of “Otaku Culture and Crafts” unfolded between Shunsuke Wada, a metal engraver, and Yoshinao Kawatsu, a metal colorist.
Yoshinao Kawatsu of Kawatsu Kogei (left) and Shunsuke Wada of Wada Engraving (right).
The same year he was chairman of Den-san, Wada formed “Takaoka Otaku Craft,” an organization which gathered about twenty artists with a background in Japan’s otaku culture.
The organization has collaborated on projects using Takaoka’s unique casting techniques, such as with their figure for the animated series “Kuromukuro, approved by the the Takaoka-based animation studio, P.A. Works, and with the helmet replica for the animated series “Gurren Lagann.” While expanding the reach of their business, they promote the local production areas from new angles, such as with exhibitions at animation events in the United States and at Wonder Festival.
Their video is a humorous and light-hearted examination of Japanese geek culture and traditional craft. Along with the interesting content, the two men are enjoyable to watch, so the video is easy to recommend. Even though they themselves are traditional craft artisans, the diversity of content and choice of careers brings a feeling of familiarity with their hometown.
In the past, even kabuki theater was a subculture on the level soap operas, and ukiyo-e woodblocks were the equivalent of fan posters of actors. A lot of the “traditional” arts we have now started with that kind of fun and excitement. And the fun-loving folks of Den-san seem to reflect the sentiment of their ancestors who began their traditions (though I haven’t met their actual ancestors myself!). It’s from that enthusiasm that new and unexpected developments are sure to spread.
“Kuromukuro” figure. More than 10 different techniques were used, including wax casting, black metal
dyeing, red painting and stone fastening for the crystal eyes.
Helmet for the animated series, “Gurren Lagann.” Despite the high price of 290,000 yen, it sells quite
well.
“Engraved Coasters” by Wada Engraving Studio, shown in a delicate atmosphere. (Suveni-ya)
Carving a pattern out with a chisel and mallet.
Did Wada bring his “geek” knowledge to the content creation project as well?
“I thought about how best to enjoy the content, and how the setting and the zombie makeup would come out. In the end, I really want people to come and experience it in person. I hope the programs will be an opportunity to bring people to Takaoka.”
More than anything else, I certainly felt the personal touch of each individual while visiting the various sites and their contents. The people who were charming on screen were even more so when met. And there’s nothing quite as pleasurable as being at the Ichiba-Machi and Craft Tourism in person, when you are able to come.
So, once this year’s has been archived in its entirety, let’s definitely go to the Takaoka Craft IchibaMachi next year
Outline of the event
Period: October 17 (Sat) – 25 (Sun), 2020 *The program will continue to be available for viewing.
Venues: Various locations in Takaoka City
Organizer: Takaoka Craft Market Street Executive Committee
Chie Yabutani（Writer）
Born in Fujisawa City, Kanagawa Prefecture. After graduating from the department of Faculty of Environment and Information Studies at Keio University, she jumped headfirst into workshops focused on Yuki pongee [silk products using natural indigo dye] to learn about “the power of human hands,” through which she sought to revitalize the craft through her kimono store and brand, Yuki Sawaya. After marrying three years ago, she moved from Sapporo to Toyama. She enjoys filling her world with kogei and working with her hands and is currently renovating a private house and rice field at her future home in the west area of the prefecture. Her current greatest interest is in anthropology.
http://chieyabutani.com/
