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The People Carrying the Knowledge of Japanese Craft

Written byKiara Corso
Published date 01 August 2023

Kiara Corso, Post-Grad Ambassador and MA Global Collaborative Design Practice (Camberwell) student, is currently in Japan as part of her course's collaboration with the Kyoto Institute of Technology. Here she reports back on a trip with the course to visit the craftspeople of Yame.

I visited Yame in Fukuoka Prefecture in Southern Japan to learn about the traditional crafts of Japan. Una Laboratories led us on an incredible, knowledgeable two days where we met and spoke to local craftspeople of the region.

fabric hanging from a clothes line — **Indigo dyed textiles hanging outside a craft shop in Yame town.**

Welcome to Yame, a small town in the South of Japan famous for its Yame tea. Upon our arrival into the Yame region, the contrast between the busy city we departed from and this remote town was striking. The air was still and our voices travelled alone through the green landscape.

a room made with bamboo with furniture in it — **The lounge space in the Bamboo room at Craft Inn Te with elements of Bamboo and Washi featured in the chairs, lamps and Shoji (washi sliding doors).**

a photograph of the outside of a japanese hotel — **The entrance to the Craft Inn Te Hotel on a peaceful street in South of Yame.**

We arrived at the Craft Inn Te, hosted by Una Laboratory, a craft travel company working to share the traditional crafts of the Kyushu region with others. We stayed in their beautiful Bamboo room which was entirely made of locally made materials and products.

We began our day with a Geshi breakfast which celebrates Japan’s 24 micro-seasons. Each element of the meal is selected with intent utilising locally grown produce to nourish and energise our body for the day ahead.

two plates of food including vegetables and rice — **Geshi Breakfast served in the tearoom featuring local, seasonal produce including rice, fish and vegetables.**

Our first stop was a traditional teahouse where we met Asuka-san a Tea Master in Yame who holds tea ceremonies that encompass the foundations of Japanese culture; harmony, purity, and tranquility.

a traditional japanese tea set and cake — **A personalised tea ceremony platter including a chaire (matcha container), chasen (whisk), chashaku (bamboo spoon), chawan (matcha bowl), kama (iron pot) and wagashi (traditional sweet).**

We enjoyed the elements of the tea ceremony which included traditional sweets Namagashi (生菓子) and a personalised matcha set to make our own tea.

a Japanese man making incense sticks — **Baba-san working on a small stool to buff the edges of the incense sticks giving them an even, flat finish.**

We trekked into the Yame mountains and met Baba-san, a local Incense Maker who uses a water mill to pound cedar trees and create natural incense sticks to be used in homes and temples.

a corridor with a tree at the end — **Baba-san’s workshop in the mountains. This corridor leads to the shed with drying cedar leaves, the room on the left leads to the watermill and pump that grinds the leaves.**

Baba-san ventures through the mountains to forage for fallen cedar trees which he can turn into incense powder. He explains his connection to land and respect for his environment as it provides for him daily.

a japanese man holding a clay bowl — **Ryo-san holding up his freshly made clay bowl in his studio as pottery dries in the back.**

Returning to the town, we were greeted by Ryo-san a ceramist who trained under a local ceramic master and is now experimenting with glazing and form.

a garden with a wheelbarrow filled with clay pots — **Ryo-san’s front yard, a tea farm, with his imperfect or broken pieces left in a wheel borough.**

Ryo-san collects his own clay from the land and describes how this connects him to his environment and work on a deeper level. By being so a part of the entire making process, Ryo feels a sense of responsibility in the pieces he makes.

A japanese man holding up a wooden bucket — **Mr Shinji holding up his freshly made bucket which has not yet been glued together. The perfect wood alignment and bamboo wrap hold the pieces together in its correct form.**

A few doors down we meet Mr Shinji a local Bucket Maker who creates watertight, perfectly aligned buckets made from cedar wood and bamboo.

a workshop filled with wooden buckets — **Mr Shinji’s workshop with pieces of cedar both cut and uncut waiting to be joined together.**

Each bucket takes many weeks to make as each piece of wood is perfectly cut to connect together and form a smooth round shape. This process requires precision, patience and a deep understanding the material.

These craftspeople who generously opened their studios and workshops to us embodied their craft with such beauty. These crafts were not just a mode of income but a lifestyle, every element of their daily lives was influenced by their processes and in turn meant they became a part of the craft and a part of the land they worked on. The experience was in a way very magical, to be able to converse with knowledge keepers who may be the last of their time felt very special. The connection to the environment was so important for each craftsperson, showcasing what it truly means to be sustainable in this overheating world.

a photograph of a window — **The morning light shining in through the windows of the Bamboo Room.**

a flower — **A blooming lotus flower inside Myoeji gardens, a Buddhist temple.**

a hat hanging in a workshop — **Baba-san’s worn hat hanging amongst his tops outside of his workshop.**

a wooden bathtub — **The cedar bathtub in the bamboo room made by Mr Shinji.**

a workshop with mountains in the background — **Baba-san’s workshop, perched in the mountains. The cedar forest can be seen in the background.**

a wood workshop and scales — **Ryo-san’s wheel and tools in his workshop. His finished pieces sit on shelves in the back.**

The People Carrying the Knowledge of Japanese Craft

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