The Company: Four Generations of Bunkodo Brushmakers of Kumano
Ask for directions to “the company” in Kumano, and older residents will point you straight to Bunkodo. It adopted the
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Hiroshima Artisans
Capturing Resilience in Tatami: Mats to Span Generations
Naito Tatami is a family business that has been making tatami in central Hiroshima for over a century.
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Centuries-Old Tradition Meets Modernity at Eiko Woodcraft
A maker of delicate ornamental latticework for Buddhist altars goes back to nature.
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Tsushima Textiles: Weaving Paper Cloth in Hiroshima Bay
On an island in Hiroshima Bay, one company is dedicated to preserving an endangered weaving tradition that uses a material that might surprise you.
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Tulip Needles, maker of one of Hiroshima’s most surprising exports
A kamikaze pilot, saved by a stroke of fate, returns to Hiroshima and revives a legacy of samurai industry that continues to endure today.
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Kataoka Shoten: A 127-year journey from wicker baskets to drones
”What are you doing now?” an exasperated Susumu Kataoka calls up at his 75-year-old father, perched precariously on a ladder.
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Koyudo, brighter than the sun
In a town which has a history of brushmaking that goes back over 150 years, Kyoyudo is a relative newcomer. Its founder, Fujimori Uematsu made his ambitions clear in choosing the Chinese characters for the name of the company he set up in 1978, which mean “brighter than the sun”.
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Sitting down with master brush maker Yusui Teragauchi
Master brush maker Yasui Teragauchi has been working at Kumano’s Koyudo for almost 40 years. We talked to him about the changes he has seen.
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Kumano, the undisputed brush capital of Japan
Every year on the Autumn Equinox, the town of Kumano, in the hills east of Hiroshima, gives thanks to the product upon which its prosperity was built. Kumano is the undisputed fude (brush) capital of Japan.
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Rekiseisha: A shining example of entrepreneurial spirit
From its samurai beginnings to the modern day, the story of Rekiseisha – producer of gilded hand-laid gold and metal
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