Today we had a field trip to both a Shinto shrine and a small traditional crafts shop in Kanazawa.
First, the Shinto shrine.
Shiroyama Hime Shrine
It was the first of the month, which is a special day for the Shinto religion. At this shrine, they had this big wreath set up that everyone walked through in a sort of figure 8 through it. A lot of people come on the first day of each month.
After this field trip, we also went to a small crafts shop in Kanazawa.
Our culture teacher's friend's family owned an old crafts shop downtown. The shop originally made wooden fire holders out of wood that was particularly fire resistant called paulownia wood. Families used to bring hot coals in and put them on a bed of ash inside these pots, and that was how they heated their homes. When this became obsolete, the family started to make other things with their factory. After they shape the wood the way they want it, they burn the surface of the wood, and then polish it to give it a nice finish.
The factory itself is very old, and originally was built in 1913. Our culture teacher's friend, Ayumi Iwamoto, is the daighter of the current household head, but there was no one to take over the business because she doesn't do the crafts I guess. But Kensuke Uchida, her boyfriend, has learned how to do this craft, and will take over the shop afterwards.
Kensuke in the shop
After this field trip, we also went to a small crafts shop in Kanazawa.
Our culture teacher's friend's family owned an old crafts shop downtown. The shop originally made wooden fire holders out of wood that was particularly fire resistant called paulownia wood. Families used to bring hot coals in and put them on a bed of ash inside these pots, and that was how they heated their homes. When this became obsolete, the family started to make other things with their factory. After they shape the wood the way they want it, they burn the surface of the wood, and then polish it to give it a nice finish.
The factory itself is very old, and originally was built in 1913. Our culture teacher's friend, Ayumi Iwamoto, is the daighter of the current household head, but there was no one to take over the business because she doesn't do the crafts I guess. But Kensuke Uchida, her boyfriend, has learned how to do this craft, and will take over the shop afterwards.
Kensuke in the shop
Nowadays they make things like flower vases or food trays. I bought a few things from the shop, including the book that Ayumi wrote about a lot of local shops and recommendations from Kanazawans on the sites to see, and one of Kensuke's ideas, a simple tray with a spot for a drink.