History of the koto
Kotos are unique stringed instruments which originally came to Japan from China. It was introduced into Gagaku, Japanese traditional music and
dance, during the Nara Era. Kotos were also played by the nobility. In 15th century, during a civil war called "Ounin no Ran," Kyoto was turned into a battle field leading to the scattering of
Kyoto's nobility in all directions. One koto playing family settled in Kyushu and started the Chikushi style. In the Edo Era, three koto styles (ie. families) were established: the Yatsuhashi
style - which blended in Shamisen's rhythmics, three years later, the Ikuta style - which added Kyoto's local songs, and a hundred years later after that, the Yamada style- which adopted Edo
Joruri (Ballad drama). Modern "koto" style is adapted from the Ikuta style and the Yamada style.
How to Make a Koto
1) Find a paulownia tree: Main areas of production are Aizu in Fukushima
prefecture and Kosengoku in Niigata prefecture.
It is necessary to find a tree whose wood has the right grain pattern to make koto.
2) Expose the raw wood to the long rainy season beginning in May for 2-3 years.
This process removes the tannin out of the wood and accentuates each piece's
unique grain patterns.
3) Roughly shape the koto with a plane for the top and a hand ax to hollow out the bottom.
The bottom will then create a space for the sound to resonate. Working on this parts
requires great care and caution.
4) After additionaly planing and smoothing with various tools, burn the instrument
with red hot irons. Polishing it with an uzukuri, a tool made of ropes, will bring out the
woods grain pattern.
This will also decide the hue of each koto.
5) Finally, stretch the strings over bridges with the skilled hands of a "koto craftman."
Contact
Tamashige Koto Seisakusho (Tamashige YK）
Shimotamachi Funaki Ohaza Kusunoki-cho Asa-gun Yamaguchi-ken
Tel: 0836-67-0175
Fax: 0836-67-1767
Yoshihiro Tamashige
Teruhiko Tamashige(son）
Since ancient times, in China and Japan the "four scholarly treasures" have been the Fude (brush), the sumi (ink stick), the suzuri (suzuri) and kami (paper).
Suzuris are especially treasured and believed to lead long life
due, most likely, to its durability.
Origins of the names
There is a story of the god, Mejiro Fudo Myo-oh, who is enshrined at the old
Seian-ji Temple in Sanyo-cho, Asa-gun ,Yamaguchi prefecture. In this story
Myo-oh visited a man named Nizaemon, who lived in Ohko Sanyo-chohara, in his dream.
Myo-oh appeared and told him that there was suzuri somewhere.
He made a suzuri out of that suzuri and gave it to the domain lord
Mori and given a authority to sell it to other countries. Because this rock (shale)
contains iron oxide and it makes the stone color redder than normal ones.
This is why it is called "Akamaishi-red stone" and therfore, inc slab is called
"Akama Suzuri- red ink-slab." One of other versions of story says it is called
"Akama Suzuri", because they were mainly sold at Akamagaseki in Shimonoseki.
History
Large portion of suzuri used to be imported from China in a certain time of
a history. Around the end of Heian Era, by the ruin of Sou Imperial Court
in China brought attention to a potential of suzuri quarrying. Founder of
Kamakura shogunate, Yoritomo Minamoto dedicated a suzuri to Tsuruoka
Hachimannguu Shrine together with decorated box to keep it. The suzuri
inside the box was Akama Tuzuri. It has more than 800 years of history now.
In Edo Era, mining suzuri material was impossible without an authority of
Choshu-han, a domain of this area. It was a specialty product of the domain
Choshu and it was hard to obtain it.
Features
For producing purpose, this stone provides excellent congeniality with its
which makes it easier to mount detailed work. For utilizing purpose, it
allows ink stick smoothly glide, and produces good quality ink and gains good
amount of inks in short time.
Variety of Suzuri
Kaku Suzuri, Maru Suzuri:
It has decorous beauty with solid practicability.
Nomen Suzuri:
It has a dynamic shape whit beauty of nature by making use of
stone's original shape.
Choukoku Suzuri:
There are wide range from plane to exquisite carving. While preserving
its traditional forms of technique, it adopt new trend of the time in
artistic expressions. This is one of the most beautiful kind of suzuri
for appreciation.
Futatuki Suzuri:
As its name shows, it is a suzuri with lid on it.("futa" means a lid.)
Detailed work implementation makes it one of the most attractive curving work.
Progress of Work
Mining stone --> Selecting stone --> Marking stone for shaping -->
Rough carving --> Adding feature (using different curving methods)
--> Final curving touch -->Polishing --> Finishing turning (involving
lacquer coating and other ten processes)
This working process and technique have not changed from timeworn method.
With techniches from masters and his fathers, craftworkers have kept producing
it with their "chisel" only 2-10 millimeters wide.
Contact
Akama Suzuri Production Cooperative Association Yamguchi
Tel/Fax: 0836-67-0628
Representative: Yuriaki Shimoi
The green tea grown in the Magura and Kibe areas enjoys a favorable reputation.
This area spans approximately 13 hectares of tea fields.