Kirk here reporting that I have a new reason to love Yamaga: high quality traditional uchiwa (fans).
If the article piques your interest and you’d like to learn more, you can check out Kurikawa Shoten’s website here:
If you search this page for “Yamaga,” you’ll find lots of posts about Yamaga Toro (山鹿灯籠). These decorative lanterns are made of washi (traditional Japanese paper) with techniques that allow the construction of elaborate paper replicas of buildings and other structures. The master of the art form was Mr. Kiyoshi Nakashima, who passed away a few years ago. When he was alive, he was easy find find at his disk in his shop working away at some project or other. I remember visiting once and seeing a nearly complete replica of the Sydney Opera House on his table. I assume that someone had commission the work but can’t find any reference to it now. If you’d like to see a video with English subtitles showing Mr. Nakashima at work, please check out the following:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meVNdZZ5xRI
At any rate, though I knew about the Yamaga Toro tradition, I was ignorant of the production of traditional uchiwa in Yamaga. One of many reasons (too many to list completely here) to want to visit Yamaga again.
https://japannews.yomiuri.co.jp/features/japan-focus/20230701-119619/
