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A Traditional Japanese Crafts Family
 Not too long ago I was riding my bicycle along an old road near our home here
in Japan when I spotted a number of beautifully decorated papier-mache craft
items lining shelves
within a small fruit and vegetable stand. Being neither
fruit nor vegetable and looking lovely from the street I decided to park the
bike and have a closer look. The road on which I was riding was, in fact, no
ordinary road and I would soon learn that the store I was about to enter was no
ordinary fruit and vegetable stand. The road was Japan's famous and
historic Tokaido highway, and the store I would discover was the
home and workshop of the Ichiroemon family, who have been making and
selling traditional Japanese papier-mache crafts for over seven generations. This
discovery was truly special, for though hereditary crafts families had once been
an important part of the culture and economy of old Japan, they are today
quickly disappearing as their wares can now often be produced faster and cheaper
through modern mass-production methods, frequently by companies located outside
Japan.
  As
I entered the store I was greeted by a matronly old grandmother who quickly
called her son when I indicated that I was interested in the papier-mache
pieces. After the son arrived and welcomed me into his shop I soon learned
the story of his family, their traditional craft and how their lineage traces
back over two hundred years to a talented and inspired artist named Ichiroemon
Horio who established the business and developed many of the unique designs
which are still produced and sold today. I further learned that the family has
long been making and selling their papier-mache craft from the
same location where the store stands today, at a bend in the historic old Tokaido
road, where the family has watched many figures of history pass before their door
and the march of progress change greatly their community and country. For
the Tokaido was in the past a very important highway, which connected the Japanese imperial capital of Kyoto in the south with the
Shogun's military capital of Edo (present day Tokyo) some 300 miles from Kyoto to the
north. During feudal times, when wheeled transport in Japan was prohibited,
the Ichiroemon family would have watched kimono-clad merchants,
pilgrims and samurai walking or riding on horseback as they passed along the
highway on quests of profit, salvation
or honor. Sometimes travelers would cease their journey for a bit in order
to visit the shop, admire the wares and perhaps sit and rest upon the little
store's raised tatami flooring, sipping tea and chatting with the proprietor
while young boys hurriedly brought craft samples from the warehouse.
Papier-mache tigers called hariko no tora which are a specialty of the
Ichiroemon
family were especially popular with traveling Daimyo (samurai
lords) who believed the fierce tiger could travel one thousand ri
(ancient Japanese unit of measure) with ease and that the spirit of the tiger
captured in the papier-mache piece could inspire his many retainers to do the
same during their remaining journey on the Tokaido.
 Things have
changed much for the Ichiroemon family since the Japanese feudal era, and today the old shop on the Tokaido
devotes more than two thirds of available floor space to the sale of fruits and
vegetables in order to help make ends meet. Mindful however of their long
family tradition the shop maintains a small room at one end of the building
which is designed and furnished like an old Japanese crafts shop, complete with
tatami mats where customers can rest while examining the family's diverse and
interesting
products. The current head of the family is very proud of the traditions
his ancestors have maintained for over two centuries and expresses his hope that
future generations of Ichiroemon
will see fit to make whatever sacrifices are needed to continue the line.
His insistence on quality is readily apparent when comparing a sample of the
family's craftsmanship against a similar, mass produced item created to feed the
growing demand for Japanese papier-mache crafts. Only time will tell if the little family shop on the Tokaido will
be able to continue making papier-mache crafts the old fashioned way, or if
increased competition from mass production houses will cause the last bit of
Ichironsan floor space dedicated to this craft to one day be replaced by trays of
watermelon and tomatoes.
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Click
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to see our catalogue of authentic Ichironsan items available for
purchase within our eBay store
The Old Tokaido |
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