Kabazaiku

Kabazaiku is the only craft in the world that uses the bark of wild cherry blossoms. If the bark of wild cherry blossoms is peeled off using the technique that has been passed down from generation to generation, it will regenerate in a few years and will not die. It is said that the etymology of the long song of Manyoshu was that the expression “Kani” of Yamazakura was later converted to “Kaba”. Kabazaiku is a craft that is attractive for its beauty, but at the same time it is built on the excellent properties of the material. One of its characteristics is the property of suppressing humidity. With the times, products that make the most of the characteristics of inro, medicine baskets, torso, and tea canisters have been created, and traditional techniques have been inherited. Things that you touch every day, such as tea canisters, increase their luster and maintain the luster peculiar to mountain cherry blossoms.

The technique has been handed down from samurai to citizens, and has greatly contributed to the development of the town and continues to this day. In the first half of the Showa era, there was a “Doranko” craftsman in the town, and when he walked outside, he heard the sound of hitting a mallet. This Kabazaiku turmoil was shipped all over the country, and the number of craftsmen who made a living from Kabazaiku increased, and it developed as a local industry. In 1976, it was designated as a national traditional craft. Even now, about 150 craftsmen, including in-house workers, are involved in making Kabazaiku mainly in the town of Kakunodate.

Fortunately, many Japanese-specific Noh plays remain in various parts of Japan. But it is no longer the central city that bears this honor. The peculiarity of Japan is in rural areas. So some people put them in the old format as being left behind. However, when the consciousness of the people comes to the fore as it is today, it turns out that there is no power in urban culture with weak uniqueness. Looking back, I feel that the Japanese retreat is remarkable. Therefore, in many respects, local culture has a heavy meaning.
However, its locality is also powerless if it ends up being just an idea. It is desirable to have a concrete figure forever. I don’t know how reliable the field of modeling is here. Here, you can talk about Japan in line with things.
There are various unique things in Japan. However, one of the most obvious properties is the Kabazaiku in Kakunodate. Kabazaiku is not limited to Kakunodate. But nowhere else has the work shown such a great development.
Kabazaiku is a detrimental name. This is because I immediately think of birch. Speaking of Kabazaiku, the street is good, but it just seems to the urban people. I have been going to the land for a long time with Kabazaiku. No one is confused. The birch is called “crab” in the old language, and it seems that this was later called “crab”. And since this meant cherry blossoms, the word “hippo” is already an old use. Birch, or birch cherry, is a wild cherry tree in a broad sense. It is also a work using the skin of wild cherry blossoms. As I mentioned earlier, this has achieved a rare development in Kakunodate, Semboku-gun, Ugo Province, Akita Prefecture. It cannot be said that this is the only craft that is unique to Ugo. However, the most representative of this country’s specialty is Kabazaiku. His work is so active that he does not allow other countries to follow him in his technique. Kabazaiku is a product unique to Japan that Kakunodate is proud of. It doesn’t matter where you put it in the world. It is said that the number of workers living inside and outside the town is currently 450.