In this interview segment, Hiroi-sensei speaks briefly about the establishment of the Akiu Craft Park and the types of artisans who live and work there. You can visit the official webpage for Akiu at this link, which explains about the many artisans working there. The page also includes an option to translate it (via machine) into foreign languages.

Akiu Craft Park is about 35-40 minutes by bus from Sendai, Japan, located in the small town of Akiu. From Sendai station, board the bus going towards Kawasaki-machi (かわさきまち行) at the #63 bus stop, getting off at Akiu kōgei no sato (秋保工芸の里). This will be the purple Takeya tours bus, the タケヤ交通＜秋保・川崎　仙台西部ライナ＞. Some schedule changes may occur in winter months.

A scanned version of the Akiu Craft park pamphlet is uploaded in the Media section of our page.

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[Segment 1, 00:30:07]

Paula Curtis: And let’s talk a little about Akiu. When did you start living at Akiu Craft Park?

Hiroi Michiaki: It was about twenty-five years ago.  That was from when it opened, but some years before that, about three years, ummm about twenty–eight years ago, I guess. I was asked “We’re going to make something like a craft village in Miyagi prefecture, so won’t you join us?” And many [artisans] came together and talked, came to the prefecture and talked. In the town it had gradually become difficult to do our work, you know? Because it was loud, or the garbage would pile up, it was said to be a nuisance, and so it became difficult to do our work, and the topic came up that we wanted leave the town and make a place where no one would say anything [about it] to us. And not just people doing the same occupation, but people of many different types of work joined us. And we negotiated with the prefecture and it slowly moved along. Akiu wasn’t the city of Sendai, it was the town of Akiu. And [we negotiated with] the town of Akiu, with Akiu and the prefecture, and there was a mountain, so we made it there, and it was said that we should all move there. There were about twenty, twenty of us at the beginning. And gradually we ended up with about twelve houses in the end, I think. We had the land for twelve homes, but in the end about eight were constructed and there were four open lots. And after one more person came, and that person bought and combined two lots. Even now there’s two left. Umm… in the end, when we opened—huh? Wait. Did Tsuruko-san buy it after we opened? There were eight houses when we opened, eight people. And two or three years later another house went up and we were nine houses. And now it’s nine houses. And it’s been the same ever since.

Paula: What kind of specialties did the other artists have?

Hiroi: Umm… ah, it’s easiest to understand if you look at the pamphlet… You’ll see here. Ahh this is a kokeshi maker. The one next door to here. And this is us. And this is that one.

[Segment 2, 00:00:00]

Hiroi: These are tea ceremony utensils. He makes tea ceremony utensils. And then there’s– like the one over there, the cabinet next to the toilet– Sendai [style] cabinets. Next to [the tea ceremony person] there’s a man who does this carving. Across from him is the woman who came later [after we set up Akiu Craft village], who does textiles. She joined us after. And next to her of course is a kokeshi maker. That person is originally from Akiu and made kokeshi in Akiu. He’s the only person originally from here.

And next to him is a bogwood [carver], and he’s also now the only person in the entire country [who has that skill]. He’s called a “bogwood artisan” [umoregi saiku]. This is something particular to Sendai… there’s something called “brown coal” (lignite) that [is formed] before it becomes coal, and wood that is buried in and mixes with that brown coal– it comes from the brown coal class [of materials]– what should I call it? It’s more or less this is wood that has been buried and carbonized. If you carve it into things it’s gorgeous, so it’s a famous thing from Sendai, and there used to be a number of artisans [who carved bogwood], but now there’s only one.

And this [other] one is next to him, and he’s a, you know, sensei of traditional kokeshi. When I was taught [kokeshi making] it was Wagatsuma-san. Is he in this area now? So, for people of the same craft it’s two houses, two kokeshi makers, or is it three? Ahh. There’s three doing kokeshi. Oh, I also did it, so it’s four. Well, at any rate there’s a lot of kokeshi makers. Mm. Other than the kokeshi makers there’s one, two, three, four houses. Mm five? And there were four places that did kokeshi, but not just kokeshi but other pieces that were made using the lathe, well, including Edo tops, and there were four of them. And that’s nine.

今回のインタビューでは、廣井先生が秋保工芸の里ができた経緯や工芸の里に住みモノづくりをしている職人たちについて触れている。秋保工芸の里の公式ウェブサイトはこちらのリンクから。ウェブサイトは(機械による)翻訳機能もついており各言語での閲覧も可能。

秋保工芸の里は宮城県の仙台市からバスで35〜40分ほど離れた小さな町、秋保にある。仙台駅からは63番のバス停で、かわさきまち行に乗り、秋保工芸の里で下車。タケヤ交通＜秋保・川崎　仙台西部ライナー＞ 冬季に関しては時刻表に変動あり。

秋保工芸の里のパンフレットはメディアのページで閲覧できる。

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[Segment 1, 00:30:07]

ポーラ・カーティス：では、少し、あのう、秋保についての、あのう、話に入りますが、あのう、いつ秋保工芸の里に住むことになりましたか。

廣井道顕：ちょうど二十五年前。ここが、オープンしたですけど、その何年前、三年ぐらい前だから、うんんと今から二十、八ヵ年前、八年ぐらい前かな。あの今度うんと、宮城、県で、あのう、こういう工芸の里みたいなのを作るから、一緒に行かないかって声をかけてもらって。で色々集まって話して、で県に行って話して。であのう街中でだんだんあのう、仕事がやりにくくなってきたんですよね。あのう、うるさいとか、ゴミが立つからとかって、公害だ何だって言われて、仕事がだんだんやりにくくなってて、何とかこう、そういう街中から出て、誰にも何も言われない場所を作りたいなっていう話で。であのう、同じ同業ばかりでなくて、色んな異業種の人たちとも一緒になって。ほんで県に交渉して、ではっていうことで、この秋保、まだ仙台市でなかったんですね、秋保は秋保で、秋保町だったんですけど。で秋保町、秋保と、それから県の、山があるから、でそこを、作って、そこにあのうみんな移るように、したらいいんじゃないかっていうことで。最初二十、二十人ぐらいいたんですよ。で、だんだんだんだん煮詰まってって、最終的に、ええ十二件になったのかな。で順で十二ヶ所土地作ったんけど、結果、入ったのが、うーんと八軒。で空いている場所が四ヶ所あって、で後から、一人、入ってきて、その一人の人が二ヶ所まとめて買って。で今も二ヶ所残ってるんですけど。うーん、で結果的に、オープンした時は、うん？待てよ。オープンの後でツルコさんが買ったのか。オープンした時は八軒だったんですね、八人だったのね。それから二年か、三年ぐらいして一軒入って九軒になった。今九軒で。そのままずっと今も続いてるんですけど。

ポーラ：どのような専門ですか。

廣井：ええと、うんだから、あれ、パンフレット見ると一番分かりいい・・・ここで分る。あぁこれがこけし屋さん。こっちの隣。で、ここはうちね。でこれがそっちの。

[Segment 2, 00:00:00]

廣井：これはあのお茶の道具。茶道具を作っている人なんですけど。あとそれからそっちの向かいの・・・トイレの脇が箪笥、仙台箪笥。で、その隣がこの彫刻、やっている人で。その向かいっ側の人がこれ後から入ってきた織物をやってる人。この人が後から入ってきたんですけど。でその隣がやっぱりこけし屋さん。この人は元々 秋保の人で。で秋保でこけしを作って、いた人なんですよね。で地元の人、ただ一人なんですけど。

で後はその隣がこれ埋もれ木って、これもあの、もう全国でただ一人になっちゃったんです。埋もれ木細工っていうの、やっている人なんですけど。これ仙台独特のもので、あのう・・・石炭になる前に亜炭というのがあって、その亜炭にまざって埋もれ木っていう、亜炭層から出てきた、あのう、なんというかな。炭化したような、要するに埋もれている木なんですけど。それ削ってこうやるとすごく素晴らしいのができるので。で仙台の名物で、何人も職人さんいたんですけど今たった一人になっちゃってんの。

で、これ、これがその隣で、これがほら、あのう、伝統こけしの先生。私が教わった先生のところ、我妻さんってね。でこの近辺なのか、今。だからあのう、同業の方は二軒、こけし屋さん・・・あ二軒、三軒か。あぁ。こけしやってた人は三軒、あぁ俺もやってたから四軒か。ま、こけし屋さんが多いね。うん。こけし屋さん以外が一店、二店、三軒、四軒。んー五軒か。でこけしやってた 、こけしばかりでなく、こういう轆轤っていうんで色々、ま江戸独楽も含めてですけど、そういうのが四軒で。で九軒ですね。