AKIRUNO NO TAKUMIArtisans in Akiruno”AKIRUN NO TAKUMI( \u3042\u304d\u308b\u91ce\u306e\u5320)” is a certification system,established by Akiruno City in 2016 and 12 people are recognizedfor now.The purpose of this system is to archive expanding demand of theartisans’ attractive products by spreading the products and theirgreat techniques and arts widely,regardless of in or out of AkirunoCity; besides, to pass the artisans’ techniques on to newgeneration; thus, the system will help increasing number oftourists and nurturing love for our hometown.Requirements for the recognition are:1. A person who inherited unique or special methods techniquesthat have been passed down through the generations.2. A person who inherited techniques for crafts or productions,utilizing Akiruno’s nature, history or culture to good make.3. A person who has an exceptional good skill as an artisan.This booklet introduces “AKIRUNO NO TAKUMI” and AkirunoCity compiles and updates the data every year.What is AKIRUNO NO TAKUMI ?*About logo design :The character \u5320(takumi) consists of a hatchet and a carpenter’s square or a box in origin.Mr. Toshihiko Takahashi designed the logo based on the combination of it.Certification number 01Tetsuo ShimizuArtisian of Udon noodlesCertification number 05Masaru IshikawaArtisan of FutonCertification number 04Hiroshi MoriArtisan of MuddingCertification number 03Kazuho MoriyaArtisan of KonjakCertification number 02Hiroshi KondoArtisan of Soy souceCertification number 06Toshihiko TakahashiArtisan of DesignCertification number 07Tadashi KishiArtisan of Dried noodlesCertification number 09Akimitsu TomonagaArtisan of Wood carving artCertification number 10Wasuke IshikawaArtisan of Japanese confectioneryCertification number 11Takumi TakahashiArtisan of FutonCertification number 12Hiroshi EmoriArtisan of Bamboo workCertification number 08Atsushi KozukueArtisan of WoodworkingThe TAKUMI(artisans) who have been recognized until now.Cultivation while wheat and buckwheat in his feilds,having a view of Mt. Otake, Tetsuo Shimizu(Born:1953) makes Udon noodles from homegrownwheatsna and serves in his restaurant in Akiruno.He is the master of Udon noodle restaurant,Syogotei. Succeeded to his mother’s technique ofUdon making, he is making an effort to succeed tothe Japanese food culture by serving Udon andholding Udon workshops.His advertising menu “Hikizuridashi Udon” is a dish,putting boiled Udon into a bowl with dried bonitoand soy sauce. You adjust the taste as you like byadding residual boiled water while you eating. Thisis a local dish passed down in the villages and whathe has been familiar. The Udon he makes with localflour has a plain deep taste and matches well withsimple cooking styles like “Hikizuridashi”.”It was not a special thing to cultive wheat and makeUdon by yourself in olden days. Today, no one doesthat. I wondered if it is a right thing.” He asks us ifit’s OK to allow it losing the culture.Answering to the question by himself, he openedSyogotei in 2005. He cultivate wheats with hisbrother-in-law Ken Shimizu who is a full-timefarmer. He uses vegetables harvested in his ownfields or local farms for garnish.”12 years passed since I started my restaurant. Mythought that I dont’t want to lose famrs from Akirunoand that I have to take over the local food culture hasnot changesd at all. I’ll keep making Udon, notleaving it to the others.” He held his head high.Tetsuo speaks fluent Itsukaichi dialect and lovesItsukaichi area deeply. He is also a master ofmashroom hunting and has found his own routes ofstrolling in woods.Make Udon noodles from homegrown wheatTetsuo Shimizu Artisian of Udon noodlesHe holds workshops that youcan experience Udon makingfrom weighing to cutting.Akiruno’s ArtisanThe rich flavor with umami and sharpness is the bestcharacteristic of Kikkogo soy sauce. You can findhow tasty it is by eating hot white rice with thejust-opened soy sauce. Hiroshi’s predecesssor lovedthis way.Using the underground water near by the clearstream of Akigawa river, he frements and maturesdomestic soybeans and wheat as “koji” for an year.By the action of microorganisms in the wooden pailwhich has been used for over 100 years, the beautifulamber-colored soy sauce with rich flavor and deeptaste will be produced.Kikkogo soy sauce is made in traditional waywithout preservatuves or coloring and sold not onlyin the store next to the factory, but also cooperativestores that require safety and security of food and isused for school lunch too.Hiroshi Kondo (Born:1973) is the 4th head ofKondo-jozo Co., Ltd., established in 1908. Soy saucebrewery is rare in Tokyo. When he marked the 20thanniversary at the company, he succeeded to thebusiness on behalf of the passed-over predecessorand started leading the company. While feelinguneasy for the loss of reliance, he braced himself totake the responsibility for the well-establishedbrewery. “I will take over what the predecessor didwell” he says.Owing to recent health fad and registration ofJapanese food as a World Heritage, there seem to bea movement that people reconsider Japanesetraditional food. However, on the other hand, theconsumption amounts of soy sauce is decreasingyear by year. Kondo-jozo puts great deal of effortinto publicize its attractive point and holds lecturesfor children, factory tour and workshops related tosoy sauce in order to the people to rediscover thebest in it.He also sells soy sauce processedfoods such as noodle soups anddressings. Moreover, he producednew item “Oshimapepper-containing soy sauce” usingcaynne pepper made in Oshima,which is a friendship town ofAkiruno, soaked in his soy sauce. Itgoes very well with sashimi.Make soy sauce in traditional way, using domestic soybeans and wheat, fermenting and maturing for a year.Hiroshi Kondo Artisan of Soy saucePromoting fermentationa bystrring in the wooden pail.Explaining how to make soysauce with showing materials.Akiruno’s Artisan”Toromi-konjak” is tender and good for sashimi.”Sugihai-kojak” is hard, chewy and good forKimpira*…there may be around 30 varieties ofkojaks. Iketani & Co. Inc. really has wide variety ofkonjak. Kazuho Moriya (Born:1947), the president ofthe company says “We can cook one single konjak invarious ways, but that is boring. I have been inventedkonjaks matches to meals, and then there are somany kinds of konjak now. “In 1959, at the age of 22, he entered to the companythat his predecessor started. At the time, konjakswere sold putting in a water tub on the ground just atthe entrance of vegitable shops. “Other goods are onthe shelves but konjaks are not!” He was shocked.From that time, he has been struggling with makingkonjak as a leading food. His wish that complete alldishes, main, side and dessert with only konjakmotivates him to keep creating new konjaks.All the konjak imo(potato), raw material of konjak,he uses is non-agrochemical homegrown or domesticproducts.”Handmade konjak” is his leading productmade in a way: add coagulant such as shellfishcalcium, knead and roll by hands. Other products ofIketani & Co. Inc. are also home-made with the”Beta-neri (kneading)” method which is a traditionalprocess of kneading raw materials by a stirrer withblades. You have to adjust the rotation speed andrunning time of the stirring blades while imaginingits finished color and hardness. If the kneading is notenough, it becomes too soft and if it’s too much, itwill be separated and will not coagulate. Theoperation changes depends on the material qualityand the temprature of the water.Kazuho used to count numbers “1, 2, 3…” next to hispredecessor so he can learn physically how manytimes he has to knead. “I feel its difficulty even nowbut also find intersting in it.” Hetells us the real pleasure ofhandmade.Feature Konjak as the leading foodsKazuho Moriya Artisan of KonjakIn cooking boiled-food,Tedori-konjak is very tastybecause it contains air a lotand absorbs seasoning well.*Kimpira: Japanese local food ofchopped burdock root and othermaterials cooked in sugar and soysauce.Akiruno’s Artisan*obi: a broad Japanese sash for akimono.”Kurohachijo” which is also called “Itsukaichi” is asilk fabric dyed with mud and used for a decorativecollar of kimono. It was fairy common throughoutAkigawa river basin from mid-Edo period to Taishoperiod.Hiroshi Mori (Born: 1948) of Itokobo MORI revivedthe mud dyeing method which was once lost in theearly Showa period, on his own. He produces shawlsand bags with it so as to match with modern sense topromote the fabric.”Kurohachijo” is also called it Dorozome (muddyeing)” because of its making process; boil downfruits of alnus firma to get dye, and mordant by ironcontained in mud. By dyeing many times, the balckcolor gets rich, and it becomes “frosted black” thatshines and has refined texture.About 30 years ago, Hiroshi found a descriptionabout “Kurohachijo” in an Itsukaichi Town historybook by chance, and he became interested in it sinceit was related to his family business of silk yarnproduction. Depending on some keywords in thetown history book such as “fruit of Alnus firma” and”Itsukaichi mud”, he started dyeing through trialsand errors while listening to elderly people aboutdyeing.Dyeing with fruits of Alnus firma, mordanting withItsukaichi mud and washing in water of Akigawariver – he repeats this process more than 20 times. Atfirst, he had difficulty handling it because the silkyarn dyed many times are liable to get entagled. Theproductuivity had not been increased for many yearsand he could only make small goods like a coaster.Recently, the production is 4-5 rolls of cloth. Now hehas got improved so that he can produce an obi*.He newly built a studio that has larger space forboiling out dyestuffs than before. He can do what hehad been doing outside before evenin rain, so the work efficiency gotimproved.”Kurohachijo was lost once becauseits benefit didin’t match the works,but it is a pity to lose it just saying’the flow of the times’. I hope I canchange Kurohachijo to fit with thetrends by beating my brains, so thatI can pass it onto next generation.”Revived \u201cKurohachijo\u201d \u2012 the visionary silk fabricsHiroshi Mori Artisan of MuddingUsing mud containing a lot ofiron for mordantingWashing dyed yam in coldwater of Akikawa riverAkiruno’s ArtisanA futon that had worn thin can be reborn as a fluffycomfortable one by the work of Masaru Ishikawa(Born: 1973). He is a third head of Ishikawa cottonshop (Established: 1921) that makes and repairsfutons. He took the family business over in 2000 andlearned techniques from his father and the secondhead Keiji Ishikawa (Born: 1943) and the otherworkers.This cotton shop covers all the process from cottonrecarding in the own place when this kind of cottonshop is rare today. Once he gets an order ofrepairing, he removes the futon cloth, puts cottonwadding into the machine which is called “scutchingwheel”, looses it and makes the cotton sheet shape toreuse. Futon is handled one by one, so somecustomers choose this shop to avoid theirs cottonsmix up with other’s cotton wadding.He adds new cotton for depreciation of originalcotton, arranges and piles the sheet-shaped cottonsby hand and makes futons. 12 sheets are used for aquilt and about 20 sheets are used for a mattress. It isdifficult to handle the cotton protruded on all side,for instance, if he put cotton as much as the height ofthe folded part, it will be heavy. The expert skill isrequired in order to make a futon comfortable withpredetermined number of sheets according to thenecessity of use.For example, in the case of making a mattress, themiddle part where cotton decreases easily because ofthe body pressure must be a bit ticker than the otherpart. In making a futon for a kotatsu (foot stove), hemakes the part where the board goes on thinner andput more cotton into the edge. Then, a 2m kotatsuquilt will be fixed by 100-spot sewing to prevent theinner cotton from being displaced when it is pulledfrom both sides. The reception of requests and thereturning of the futon repairedshould be done in person. Smiles ofthe customers who has received thefuton repaired gives greatermotivation to him.With chemical fiber woven futonsbeing widely used, he would like toconvey good points of cotton futonsthat has excellent moistureabsorbency and can be usedrepeatedly by repairing.Repair futon to be fluffy and comfortableMasaru Ishikawa Artisan of FutonTearing cotton by hands toadjusting finely not to makethe edge, where cottons tend tobe, too thick.Akiruno’s ArtisanThe artisan who has designed posters promotingAkigawa Keikoku tourism or signs of public facilitiesand shops with unified design of a calligraphy by abrush is Toshihiko Takahashi (Born: 1942). Theunique design consisting of the strong sophisticatedbrushcharacters and Sumie (a painting in black and white)enables people to know that is Mr. Takahashi’ s workat a glance. His work blends in with local scenery ofItsukaichi and it seems to create an atmosphere of thecity.It has been over 40 years since he moved his hub anddesign studio from Yoyogi, where is the middle ofTokyo, to the mountain village in Akiruno city. Oncehis poster for the other prefecture caught the attentionof Itsukaichi Town, he got a request from the townand then he has drawn the promoting posters ofAkigawa Keikoku Valley since 1984.He continually has been winning a prize in nationalcontest, received a gold prize in 1986, silver prizeafterward. He started planning city events such asAkiruno Film Festival and Yoruichi (night festival)and designing of printed matter. The unique type ofhis letters that seems primitive on occasion is drawnwith a conscious of stonemason in “Northern Wei”,China (386~534).Despite what he actually uses is paper and brushes, hecreates each letters as if he inscribes letters into astone by chisel to convey prayer, wishes and feelingsthrough the letters. “The letters inscribed bystonemasons in Northern Wei are not well-formed,but it has a kind of magnetic charm.” This is why hehas learned this form of characters having an impact.”To do calligraphy and paint picture that makespeople feel something, I think of the tradition and theculture of this area. I want to express Japanese thingsin fresh and modern style and provide it as aninformation that leaves adeep impression. Thanksto where I’ m living, such awonderful location ofmountains and a valley, Ibecame able to create.”Appreciating to the placethat stimulate his incentiveto creation, he keepsimproving sensibility andwriting with sensibility.Write as I inscribe one\u2019 s heartToshihiko Takahashi Artisan of DesignAkiruno’s ArtisanUsing carefully selected wheat, water of Akigawariver and salt that contains a lot of bittern asmaterials, Sumiya produces tough chewy driednoodles. The man who adjusts water content ratiothat effects on the hardness of the dough on the site,checks its dryness and takes command in theproduction is the 4th head the company, TadashiKishi (Born: 1961).What Tadashi always cares for is the temperatureand the humidity. The dough gets soggy easily onhot days and gets dry easily on low humidity days.Especially at the change of season that has a greattemperature and humidity variation, he adjusts theamount of salt solution very carefully according tothe climate of the day.Sumiya started producing noodles 150 years ago.Their first product “Kan-soumen” was made whilerunning a charcoal warehouse. Unlike other driednoodles such as Udon or Soba that can be producedthrough a year, “Kan-soumen” can be produced onlyin January and February when the humidity is low. Itis the remains of the olden days that there were noheaters or fans and only way to dry the noodles wasair drying, and the dried noodles produced inthose two months become well dried and tasty.”Kan-soumen” is a size thicker and more filling thanordinal soumen. After drying, he lets the noodlesstand for a half year in a warehouse, then they willbe in the store.During the half year, the gelatinization proceeds, andthe noodles get strong in elasticity and it hardly getssoggy while boiling.He shows his attachment to the town of Itsukaichiwhere he was born and brought up by using localmaterials or naming the goods, such as the rawnoodles “Itsukaichi Udon” that is registered atrademark and “Norabo Udon” which is made withAkiruno’s specialty Norabona.For Yakisoba, they steam noodles ina steaming basket and make itchewy. Then, they sell the rawnoodle in order not to lose originalflavor of wheat. He does not spareany time and any efforts to makepeople enjoy his noodles. He wantsto keep producing noodles sincerelythat he took over from hispredecessor.Make firm fried noodlesTadashi Kishi Artisan of Dried noodlesAkiruno’s Artisan*Kintsugi: Japanese art of repairingbroken pottery with lacquer dustedor mixed with powdered gold, silver,or platinum.There was an array of wooden landing nets (a net toscoop fish) what are simple and made in a way as tomake use of the natural grain but excellent inhandleability. A forester, Atsushi Kozukue (Born:1948) gets materials from the mountains. To make thelanding nets, he shaves out a handle from a tree-trunkby a hatchet, peals bark off branches by a penknife,bends and joins by letting steam pass over it, loopsand puts a net. His delicate work is expressed in theseam joined snugly or in the finishing condition of thebeautiful handle.Since he was in elementary school, he has been goingfishing to a river and stream and caught sweet fish asif the fishing is a part of his life. At first, he used touse tools sold at a market, but he felt “It’ s boring touse tools I bought. I can find a lot of materials in therear mountain”, so it was natural for him to beginmaking a landing net.He checks and studies commercial tools and makes afishing bait box and Kayoizutsu (a portable cylindricalcontainer of decoy sweet fish) on his own. Moreover,he teaches it to his friends when they ask. Makingtools is a part of the fun of fishing for him.His theory is, “no good tools, no fun” for anyactivities.The reason that he makes fishing tools by himself is toimprove the usability. A sharp knife is essential inwoodworking. He learnt how to sharpen knife bladesfrom a master of the regular carpenter, so he can set ablade proficiently according to the necessity of using.He has been a lover of knives from childhood, andthere was a time that he thought to become a smithseriously. He used to carry around a folding knife”higonokami” in his pocket and use it to make toyssuch as a bow and arrow. He was an only student whopealed apple’ s skin well and got “A” in his class of theelementary school. Even now he feels uncomfortableif he doesn’ t shave pencil with apenknife. The expert at landing netshandcrafting is also an expert atsharpening knives. He knows how toenjoy life and he is quite skilled inKintsugi* and making westernconfectionery.The expert at grinding edged tools handcrafts landing netsAtsushi Kozukue Artisan of WoodworkingPeeling barks off deftly with apenknife.Akiruno’s ArtisanAkimitsu Tomonaga (Born: 1944) was in charge ofart and production of puppets in the serial puppetshow “Purinpurin monogatari” broadcasted by NHKfrom 1979 to 1982. In “Tomo’ s little museum atFukasawa” that has his studio and his house in thesame place, wood carved dolls of slender girls withlong limbs are standing beside unique dolls ofPurinpurin. ZiZi, who is wearing a pointed hat withwhite beard, welcomes visitors at theentrance. All of the artworks are created byAkimitsu, although they have totally different taste.He creates not only puppets and woodcarvings butalso woodblock prints and bronzes, moreover, hebuilt the studio and his house by himself. He is anartist who creates whatever he wants regardless ofgenre.After graduation from an art school in Tokyo, heentered the company of stage design. When he was23 years old, he resigned since he passed theaudition of the puppet show company in Australia.He visited to Australia alone and acquiredexperience of making puppets. The manufacturing inthe foreign country was very fresh for youngAkimitsu. “In Japan, people spend money ontechniques, but in the other country people paymoney for ideas in. I was taught that creators shouldgo beyond any frameworks.” The overseasexperience became the base of his independentunique style. Coming back to Japan at the age of 25,he started working as a professional artist. Once heheld a personal exhibition in Tokyo, the visitors, whoconcerns of art, gave him next jobs or chances ofone-man show so that he was able to get this far.He moved to Fukasawa, Akiruno, to get a calmspacious studio when he was 39 years old. Thescenery that the town is surrounded by mountainsand a river flows was similar to theatmosphere of his hometown,Shimanto City, Kochi, and that iswhy he chose thisplace. “Nature inspires my use ofcolors and shapes” he says that thestarting point of his creation is inthe nature.Going beyond the framework, create freelyAkimitsu Tomonaga Artisan of Wood carving artCreates works by making fulluse of various knives.Akiruno’s Artisan*monaka: a wafer cake filled withred bean jam.Wasuke Ishikawa (Born:1937), the president of”Ochazoppe no Nakajima-ya” says “I never makeanything with no story.” He named his confectioneriesafter Western Tama area dialect, for example, Okoju,Shoppei-mochi, Chitton-mochi, etc. and makesJapanese confectionary using local ingredients actively.The shop name “Ochazoppe” is Western Tama dialectthat means a refreshment served with tea. By sticking tothe local dialect and materials, he hopes people to feel ataste of hometown when people enjoy sweets.When he was in high school, he began to help hisfamily business of candy store and changed it intoJapanese confectionary shop. He has pursued his wayfor 60 years. He learnt skills without being taught byanyone but has made hit products like Saka-manju andKikkohaya-monaka.* In addition to the traditionalseasonal confectionaries such as mayudama,bota-mochi and sakura-mochi, this man of ideasproduces new sweets every time he gets a new productnamed that links to the promotion of the hometown.\u201cThere are too many products now\u201d he is smiling wryly.Among his many confectionaries, he is proud ofSaka-manju that is on sale for a limited time fromMarch to November. It is a Japanese steamed cake withthe wrapping the homemade coarsly mashed bean pastewith the dough that is leabened with rice-koji (maltedrice). The degree of fermentation changes depending onthe climate of the day so that he has to make use of hisexperience for many years and instinct to makeconfectionaries with stable quality.Although many shops use ready-made bean pastenowadays, his shop’s bean paste is homemade exceptwhite bean paste. He boils azuki beans produced inHokkaido carefully in a copper pan, then makesbeautiful jam with a glaze. The salty bean jam ofKikkohaya-monaka has a taste that makes people wantto eat it again.He himself loves sweets. “Lately somepeople say that sugar is not good forhealth, but I get energetic when I takesugar and azuki beans into my body”so he is laughing. Japaneseconfectionary gives him energy andhe gives energy to people by hisconfectionary.I don\u2019t make anything with no storyWasuke Ishikawa Artisan of Japanese confectioneryBeautiful homemade beanpaste.Akiruno’s ArtisanThe owner of Futon-kobo Takahashi, TakumiTakahashi (Born: 1983) says \u201cI\u2019d like people to feelhow comfortable a cotton futon is to sleep in.\u201d He isone of the few artisans who can make and repairfuton. Making futon carefully one by one for peopleto sleep comfortably is his principle.Takumi is the third head of the shop which wasestablished by his grandfather in 1953 and deals infutons and real estate. After his graduation from highschool, he got employed at other jobs like a factoryonce, however, he started helping his family businessaround 2012. He knew that artisans of making futonswere decreasing all over the country and resolved \u201cIfthere is no one to do it, I will.\u201dPartly because he liked making things, he learnedwork quickly. Trained in other shop and taught byteachers of a specialized school, he got a nationalcertification of the 1st-grade skilled bedding maker.He grew as to win first prize in the comfortercategory at the 30th National Skills Grand Prix in2019. His talent was recognized so that he took overthe shop from his father.Making a futon while lowering his center of gravityby bending their knees to expand cotton equally israther hard work. Takumi is daily absorbed in hiswork alone in his detached working room. The workrequires patience and steady efforts, but \u201cIt suits mebecause I don\u2019t need to keep pace with the others\u201d hesays.Now he became the one who is relied upon by otherelder futon makers and is willing tocarry the Futon field. Moreover, hehas also invented new products suchas a cotton futon that can be usedinstead of a mattress on a bed, acotton pillow which has excellentuse of feeling, etc. By the works thatgo further than that of a futonmaker, he wants to continueappealing cotton futons.To sleep comfortably in a cotton futonTakumi Takahashi : Artisan of FutonWork quickly to make thecorners come out.Akiruno’s ArtisanDraw with a wood-burning pen on bamboo which ispeeled green skins with a hatchet and polished to thethickness of 5mm and engrave designs byperforating with a jigsaw. People can enjoy it as a\u201cbamboo lamp\u201d by putting on a light inside. HiroshiEmori (Born: 1948) calls his bamboo art\u201cSukashi-bori (openwork).\u201d Not only the beauty ofits drawing but also the beautiful bamboo as thematerial attracts people spontaneously.The straight longitudinal fiber, the whiteness of skinsand the sharp gloss after polishing are outstanding.\u201cIt is quite difficult to show the actual goodness ofbamboo itself beautifully and lightly\u201d Hiroshi says.He created his processing method of bamboo usedfor his works and named it \u201cMigaki-dake.\u201dBamboo is weak against mold, worms and cracksand it is said that dealing with these 3 points are isthe problems on bamboo work. Hiroshi solved thoseproblems by skipping a process that is taken a matterof course and adding his unique process, moreover,increased the efficiency of work. \u201cBy using mymethod, Migaki-dake can be mass-produced. If wecan make a business with Migaki-dake, neglectedbamboo forest will decrease and may be able todevelop a new art field.\u201d he dreams.Hiroshi retired early from the position of theelementary school principal at the age of 57. Asgroping something to live for, he found a bamboowork and was especially attracted to the goodatmosphere of bamboo lamps so that he startedmaking it by himself. He joined \u201cHarebare Takeclub\u201d which has a base of activity named \u201cChikutou.\u201dHe has got materials from bamboo forest in Akirunoand enjoyed making while believinghis sensibility and inventing.Hiroshi says \u201cChikutou, where gaveme a new thing to live for, is a kindof my origin and it is also thehometown of bamboo lamps\u201d and \u201cIhope to expand \u2018Migaki-dake Art\u2019from here.\u201dInvented \u201cMigaki-dake (polished bamboo)\u201d which has the beautiful texture of bambooHiroshi Emori\u3000Artisan of bamboo workThe work begins with peelingoff the green skins.Akiruno’s Artisan\u521d\u5f8c\u4eadThe local taste of boiled udon with theflavor of dried bonito, soy sauce andresidual boiled water. Enjoy the flavorof local wheat-flour while it is hot. Addsome \u201cmashi\u201d such as grated yam, nattoand grated Japanese radish as you likeand enjoy it.Tetsuo ShimizuSyogoteiHikizuridashi-udonSyogotei: 233 Sannai Tel: 042-596-054111:00AM~4:30PM, Closed: Thursday & Friday\u8fd1\u85e4\u91b8\u9020Completely fermented and matureddomestic soybeans and wheat for ayear. It is the most popular productthat has rich flavor and deep taste.\u201cGorobe-soy sauce\u201d named after thefounder, noodle soup and yuzu-ponzuare also popular.Hiroshi KondoKondo-jozoKikkogo soy sauceKondo-jozo Co., Ltd.:733-1 Yamada Tel: 042-595-12129:00AM~7:00PM, Open every day\u6c60\u8c37The konjak is made in traditional wayof kneading by hand and rolling byhand. Some products are made fromraw konjak-imo and others are madefrom mix of raw potato and potatoflour. Both of them contains air a lotand absorbs seasoning well so itbecomes tasty in cooking boiled-food.Kazuho MoriyaIketaniKazuho Moriya\u2019s Tedori-konjakIketani & Co. Inc. : 170 Otsu Tel: 045-596-054210:00AM~4:30PM, Close: irregular\u7cf8\u5de5\u623f\u300c\u68ee\u300dProducing Kurohachijo obi, shawls,vest, pouch, etc. He displays and salesit in the exhibition every November.You can visit the showroom in otherperiods by contacting in advance.Hiroshi MoriItokobo MORIKurohachijoItokobo MORI : 1129 Ina Tel: 042-596-02508:00AM~6:00PM, Close: irregular\u77f3\u5ddd\u7dbf\u5e97He is particular about 100% of cottonand makes futon as his customer\u2019srequest for the thickness of cotton,size, patterns of cloth, etc. Repairingfuton is accepted at any time. It will bereduced by 10~20% in sales severaltimes a year.Masaru IshikawaIshikawa MentenFutonIshikawa Menten : 894 Yamada Tel: 0120-0260-85 (toll-free)9:00AM~6:00PM, Close: Sunday\u9ad9\u6a4b\u654f\u5f66\u8996\u899a\u30c7\u30b6\u30a4\u30f3\u7814\u7a76\u5ba4Shop design, product logos,package design, poster, pamphlet,etc. Two-dimensional orthree-dimensional design andplanning.He performs total design consultingthat has high visual effect.Toshihiko TakahashiVisual Design OfficeVisual DesignToshihiko Takahashi Visual Design Office : 1312 OtsuTel : 042-596-4335\u5bff\u7f8e\u5c4bMade in winter that is dry and stoodfor a half year in a warehouse, then itwill be in the store. The noodles arestrong in elasticity and it hardly getssoggy while boiling. There are alsovarious dried noodles such as soba andudon.Kishi TadashiSumiyaKan-soumenSumiya Co., Ltd. : 64 Itsukaichi Tel: 042-596-00189:00AM~6:30PM, Close: irregular\u5c0f\u673a\u6797\u696dHe has been working in mountains as aforester and got skills to discern apeculiarity of woods or differences of treespecies. Making use of the treecharacteristic and his skills of sharpening,he handcrafts landing nets and bait boxes.He doesn\u2019 t sell these but teaches how tomake if he was asked.Atsushi KozukueKozukue Ringyowood workKozukue Ringyo : 490 SannaiTel: 090-1558-1058\u6df1\u6ca2\u5c0f\u3055\u306a\u7f8e\u8853\u9928He was in charge of art and productionof puppets in the NHK serial puppetshow \u201cPurinpurin monogatari\u201d. He is anartist who freely creates unique girlstatues, ZiZi who is genial and pleasant,and so on. These are displayed in theTomo\u2019s little museum at Fukasawa.Akimitsu TomonagaTomo\u2019 s little museum at FukasawaTomo\u2019s little museum at Fukasawa : 492 FukasawaTel : 042-595-0336 (Close: December to March)10:00AM~5:00PM, Close: Wednesday & Thursday\u304a\u8336\u305e\u3063\u307a\u306e\u4e2d\u5cf6\u5c4bThe primary product Saka-manju (steamed cake) is madein the traditional way; wrap the homemade bean paste,which is made from coarsely mashed beans, in the doughthat is leavened with rice-koji (malted rice). It is on sale fora limited time from March to November that is suitable forfermentation. Okoju and Chitton-mochi, what has nameusing local direct, are also popular.Wasuke IshikawaOchazoppe no Nakajima-yaSaka-manjuNakajima-ya : 1261 Ninomiya Tel : 042-558-02778:30AM~7:00PM, Close: Thursday\u3075\u3068\u3093\u5de5\u623f\u305f\u304b\u306f\u3057It is made by applying the techniqueused in futon making. The pillow thatcontains cotton tightly in every cornerhas good elasticity and gives excellentsleep. Putting in the sun regulatly keepsit comfortable.Takumi TakahashiFuton Kobo TakahashiCotton PillowFuton Kobo Takahashi : 394-4 Konakano Tel: 045-596-05429:00AM~7:00PM, Close: Monday\u6771\u4eac\u7af9\u706f\u308a\u300c\u5451\u7af9\u5de5\u623f\u300dA bamboo art with an image of Kabukicarved out by using Sukashi-bori (openwork)on the Migaki-dake (polished bamboo) witha beautiful texture. Usually used with a lightinside, it can also be displayed just as anornament. This kind of Japanese design islikely to be popular among foreigners.Hiroshi EmoriTokyo TakeakariDonchiku KoboPolished Bamboo LampTokyo Takeakari Donchiku Kobo : 733 OtsuTel: 042-507-467210:00AM~4:00PM, Open: Saturday & Sunday.Mt. OotakesanMt. HinodeyamaMt. KatsuboyamaMt. MazukariyamaMt. KomyosanMt.ShiroyamaMt. UsukisanMt. KariyoseyamaMt. IchimichiyamaJR Musashiitsukaichi St.KOZUKUE,Atsushi\u5c0f\u673a\u6797\u696d \u25ce\u5c0f\u673a\u90b8\u55ab\u8336\u5ba4 \u5b89\u5c45Kozukue Ringyo : 490 Sannai\u260e 090-1558-1058Kozukuetei cafe ANGO11:00AM~evening,Open: Friday to MondaySHIMIZU,TetsuoKISHI,Tadashi\u682a\u5f0f\u4f1a\u793e \u5bff\u7f8e\u5c4bSumiya Co., Ltd. : 64 Itsukaichi\u260e 042-596-00189:00AM~6:30PM,Close: irregularMORIYA,Kazuho\u6709\u9650\u4f1a\u793e \u6c60\u8c37Iketani & Co. Inc. : 170 Otsu\u260e 045-596-054210:00AM~4:30PM, Close: irregular\u9ad9\u6a4b\u654f\u5f66\u8996\u899a\u30c7\u30b6\u30a4\u30f3\u7814\u7a76\u5ba4\u5c0f\u3055\u306a\u30ae\u30e3\u30e9\u30ea\u30fc\uff08\u8336\u623f\u3080\u3079\uff09Toshihiko Takahashi Visual Design OfficeLittle gallery(Sabou MUBE)1312 Otsu\u260e 042-596-433511:00AM \uff5e 6:00PM,Open: everydayTAKAHASHI,ToshihikoTOMONAGA,Akimitsu\u6df1\u6ca2\u5c0f\u3055\u306a\u7f8e\u8853\u9928Tomo\u2019s little museum at Fukasawa492 Fukasawa\u260e 042-595-033610:00AM~5:00PM,Close: Wednesday & Thursday(Close: December to March)TAKAHASHI,Takumi\u3075\u3068\u3093\u5de5\u623f\u305f\u304b\u306f\u3057Futon Kobo Takahashi : 394-4 Konakano\u260e 045-596-05429:00AM~7:00PM, Close: Monday\u6771\u4eac\u7af9\u706f\u308a\u300c\u5451\u7af9\u5de5\u623f\u300dTokyo Takeakari Donchiku Kobo : 733 Otsu\u260e 042-507-467210:00AM~4:00PM, Open: Saturday & Sunday.EMORI,HiroshiHinode I.C.Akiruno I.C.Ken-O ExpresswayJR Haijima St.\u25ceAkiruno City HallJR Akigawa St.JR Musashihikida St.JR Musashimasuko St.JR Kumagawa St.JR Higashiakiru St.\u304a\u8336\u305e\u3063\u307a\u306e\u4e2d\u5cf6\u5c4bNakajima-ya : 1261 Ninomiya\u260e 042-558-02778:30AM~7:00PM, Close: ThursdayISHIKAWA,Wasuke\u77f3\u5ddd\u7dbf\u5e97Ishikawa Menten : 894 Yamada\u260e 0120-0260-85 (toll-free)9:00AM~6:00PM, Close: SundayISHIKAWA,Masaru\u8fd1\u85e4\u91b8\u9020 \u682a\u5f0f\u4f1a\u793eKondo-jozo Co., Ltd.:733-1 Yamada\u260e 042-595-12129:00AM~7:00PM, Open: everydayKONDO,Hiroshi\u7cf8\u5de5\u623f\u300c\u68ee\u300dItokobo MORI : 1129 InaTel: 042-596-02508:00AM~6:00PM, Close: irregularMORI,Hiroshi\u521d\u5f8c\u4eadSyogotei: 233 Sannai\u260e 042-596-054111:00AM~4:30PM,Closed: Thursday & FridayAkirunoTakumiMapFor inquiriesAkiruno City, Tourism Division411, Itsukaichi, Akiruno-shi, Tokyo 190-0164, TokyoTEL \uff1a 042-595-1135AKIRUNO NO TAKUMIArtisans in Akiruno(issued in September 2020)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
“AKIRUNO NO TAKUMI\uff08\u3042\u304d\u308b\u91ce\u306e\u5320\uff09” is a certification system, established by Akiruno City in 2016.<\/p>\n
Requirements for the recognition are:
\n1. A person who inherited unique or special methods techniques that have been passed down through the generations.<\/p>\n
2. A person who inherited techniques for crafts or productions, utilizing Akiruno’s nature, history or culture to good make.<\/p>\n