-ろくろ細工-

Try Rokuro Zaiku after hiking from Magome to Tsumago!

On a Really Rural Japan guided hike from Magome to Tsumago, this experience can be added on to the end of the hike. Your guide will come with you to translate. The only extra costs will be a 4,400 JPY experience fee paid directly to the shop plus the price of any delivery costs and additional transport necessary to get to the remote village of craftsmen.

Here, in the Kiso Valley, the rugged mountains and dense forests leave little room for farmers to grow crops. Instead, the locals turned to the forest to carve out a living. You can find many specialisations of woodwork in the Kiso Valley, but possibly the most famous is rokuro zaiku.

What is Rokuro Zaiku?

Rokuro zaiku is the ancient Japanese craft of wood spinning. Starting out over 1,000 years ago, skilled craftsmen, known as kijishi, roamed the country like a tribe of travellers, cutting down trees and producing gorgeous items out of them. However, during the Edo period (1603-1868), freedom of movement was highly restricted a band of kijishi settled down where the wood was excellent, deep in the Kiso Valley. Nowadays not so many kijishi remain, but a handful of craftsmen still practice their trade in Nagiso Town. The craft is recognised as an officially designated traditional handicraft, one of only seven in Nagano Prefecture.

What do they do at Yamaichi?

During this experience we will visit Yamaichi, a rokuro zaiku store run by a real kijishi of literally countless generations. They use only local trees to create the most fabulous items. From lacquerware plates to large pieces of furniture and pens to wall hangings, this store is extremely professional but also extremely welcoming to people from all over the world.

What will you do during this experience?

• Meet and greet the master craftsman: During this experience you will start by meeting the master craftsman (and real life kijishi of several generations) who makes the items in the shop. He will explain to you the history of the craft, give you a tour of the shop and give you a live demonstration of how things are made nowadays.

• Wood spinning experience: After learning about the craft, it is time to get hands on. Nowadays electric machines have simplified the process, but in olden days the machines used to spin the timber was powered by hand. You will learn how to create wood spun plates with ancient machines powered by hand. The master craftsman will be there to teach you as you go. After the plates have been crafted, you are free to decorate them with a heat pen. You can either take the plate(s) back with you (not usable for food yet), or the shop will coat it for you and send it to you one week later once it has dried (cost of delivery is borne by the guest).

• Shopping and farewells: Finally you can peruse the shop freely and say your farewells.

How do you get there?

Yamaichi is about a 15 minute drive from Tsumago Juku. It is easiest by car. You can also take a bus there but the public buses are highly infrequent, so sometimes taxis are necessary costing about 6,000 JPY each way.