A famous art studio where you can find wonderful folk crafts and works of art to stop by while sightseeing in Nikko and Mashiko area.
Nikko, a World Heritage Site, with its shrines and temples, bustling streets, and castle towns scattered throughout. The combination of nature and culture, including rich mountains, forests, and fields, has long nurtured crafts, techniques, and people's creativity in Tochigi Prefecture. There is a wide variety of crafts, ranging from daily tools to ritual items that add color to festivals. We have picked up the workshops of artists who carefully carry on traditional techniques and up-and-coming artists who create works full of originality. You can buy your favorite piece immediately after you find it, or you can wait for it to arrive at your home. Why not visit one of Tochigi's famous workshops to encounter masterpieces that showcase the careful handiwork of the artists?
1gourd light room
Original gourd lamps that create a fantastic space
Located in the peaceful Mashiko area, which is dotted with creative workshops, you will find gourd lamps painted on white walls. This workshop and showroom produces gourd lamps that are all handmade. When lit, the lamps emit a soft red light, creating a fantastic atmosphere. The delicate and beautiful design work with beads embedded in the holes carved out of the surface, combined with the charming form, creates a warm and joyful space. The coloring varies depending on the shape, thickness, and hardness of the gourd, and all products are one-of-a-kind. It comes with an approximately 4-meter electric cord, which can be adjusted to any length according to the installation location. They also make floor-standing and wall-mounted bracket lights.
Working from gourd cultivation in pursuit of the best materials
The gourds used are grown in cooperation with contract farmers. The owner manages the growth of the gourds from sowing the seeds to planting them in the field. Since they are a product of nature, they say it is very difficult to find a reasonable size that allows just the right amount of light to penetrate.
The showroom is usually closed, so you need to call ahead when visiting.
- Gourd Light Room
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4283-4 Mashiko, Mashiko Town, Haga County, Tochigi Prefecture MAP
Approximately 8 minutes by car from Mashiko Station on the Moka Railway. Or about 25 minutes by car from Moka IC on Kita-Kanto Expressway.
The showroom is usually closed, so please call in advance if you plan to drop by.
0285-70-6043
Free of charge
Workshop fee 3,000 yen
2Karasuyama Washi Kaikan
Encountering the atmospheric texture of Karasuyama washi, a 1,200 year-old traditional technique
Karasuyama Washi has been handed down by craftsmen in Nasu Karasuyama since the Nara period (710-794). In the old days, it was called Nasu paper, and was known throughout Japan as a thick, high-grade paper. Today, however, only Fukuda Paper Mills continues to make paper. The paper is still known for its high quality, and has been used as the paper for the Imperial Court's Kaikaiji ceremony and for graduation certificates both in and outside of the prefecture. The Property exhibits and sells items that can be easily incorporated into daily life, such as modern lighting fixtures, letterheads, and small boxes made of Karasuyama washi.
Visit "washi no sato" (washi villages) and experience a workshop and paper making.
Visitors can observe the papermaking process up close and personal, and even experience making washi paper at the "Washi no Sato" washi-making center. This handmade paper workshop is located in a quiet mountain village about 10 to 15 minutes by car from the Karasuyama Washi Kaikan in the city. Using rare Nasu kozo (paper mulberry) as raw material, the many processes of boiling the mulberry bark, making the paper, and drying it are all done by hand. The finished washi has a fine texture and luster, and is supple and gentle to the touch. The "Paper-Milling Experience," where you can actually try your hand at making products, is a great way to enjoy the experience with family and friends.
- Karasuyama Washi Kaikan
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- 2-6-8 Chuo, Nasu Karasuyama-shi, Tochigi MAP
- Approximately 15 minutes by car from JR Karasuyama Station. Or about 60 min. by car from Utsunomiya-Kamisangawa IC on Kita-Kanto Expressway.
9:00-18:00 (varies according to season)- Tuesdays
- 0287-82-2100
- Free of charge
- Experience and tour the workshop at Washi no Sato (599 Obarasawa, Nasu-Karasuyama City). From 2 persons (including infants), call the Karasuyama Washi Kaikan at least 2 days in advance to make a reservation. Finished products will be mailed at a later date.
3Kuroba Aizome Konya
Discover indigo-dyed interior goods and accessories that look cool in today's lifestyle
A stately traditional building standing on a roadside that prospered as the castle town of Kurobane in the Edo period. It was built in 1804 (the first year of Bunka era). (first year of Bunka era) It was founded in 1804, and was an indigo dyeing shop that prospered from making shirushibanten for lumber merchants. Passing through the tasteful noren (curtain), you will enter the store with a sense of history and warmth, built in the irimoya style with a gabled roof. Aizome cushions, tapestries, samue (Japanese work clothes), and other items are displayed in a natural manner, as if they were cut out from a part of daily life. It is also nice to see that many of the small items are easy to buy, such as drawstring purses, business card holders, coasters, and hair bands. There is a wide variety of patterns to choose from, such as mamezubori, seigaiha (blue ocean waves), hemp leaf, and others. Modern original designs are also available, so be sure to take a look.
The only craftsman who carries on the tradition of "Kuroba indigo dyeing" expresses deep shades of blue.
Kurobane Aizome" is a traditional technique that has been cultivated for 200 years. The eighth generation head of the company is the only one who has inherited the craftsmanship, which relies on experience and intuition. His insistence on the "katazome" technique, which requires many detailed processes, is an expression of his deep attachment to the indigo-dyeing culture. The entire process of making a katazome mold and dyeing it with a naturally fermented solution of indigo leaves and lime is carefully done by hand. Because the work is done by hand, which is affected by weather and temperature, each piece is unique. The company is also eager to develop products that attract the attention of young people, such as sneakers.
At "Kai Hoshino Resorts KAI Kinugawa," the shoji screens in Guest rooms and lanterns in the corridor are decorated with Kurobane Aizome, allowing you to experience the world of indigo.
- Kuroba Aizome Konya
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- 88 Kurobamukai-cho, Otawara-shi, Tochigi MAP
- Approximately 25 minutes by car from JR Nishinasuno Station. Or about 30 minutes from Kuroiso Itamuro IC on Tohoku Expressway.
- Open 10:00-17:00
- Thursdays
- 0287-54-0865
- Free of charge
- General studio tours are not permitted.
4Daisei Kiln
Mashiko potteries in a variety of shades fired in a powerful climbing kiln
Along the main street of Mashiko, a city with a free and creative spirit, you will see a unique sign depicting a climbing kiln, a famous kiln that has been visited and loved by various artists since its establishment in 1861. The spacious interior of the store, which is a reclaimed old private house, is filled with an assortment of items ranging from small plates to large, heavy vases. In the back of the store is Mashiko's largest climbing kiln. Around the kiln, the aroma of the soil and the red pine used as fuel fills the air, allowing visitors to enjoy with all five senses the origin of Mashiko pottery, which is both powerful and comfortable in the hands of human beings.
Handmade clay and glazes, and the works that take a lot of time and effort to make are lined up in a small space.
The seventh generation of the kiln's owner is dedicated to making things that are unique to Mashiko, and uses soil dug from nearby mountains, local Ashinuma stone, and straw from rice farmers to make the glazes. His insistence on using local ingredients was inspired by his decision to leave Mashiko when he was young and study under Masaaki Shibata of Tanba Sasayama, where pottery production has long flourished. He was awakened once again to the charm of Mashiko pottery and was in awe of its great history. His handmade glazes are typical Mashiko glazes such as persimmon glaze, rice-bran white glaze, black glaze, candy glaze, and rice-bran celadon glaze. While firing in a wood-fired climbing kiln causes many losses such as uneven firing, it also has the interesting feature of producing beautiful and warm dishes with rich shades of color.
Mamadai plates are also displayed in the lobby of "Hoshino Resorts KAI Kinugawa.
- Daisei Kiln
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- 92 Jonaisaka, Mashiko Town, Haga County, Tochigi Prefecture MAP
- 20 min. walk from Mashiko Station on the Moka Railway. Or about 41 min. by car from Moka IC on Kita-Kanto Expressway.
- Open 10:00-17:00
- Tuesdays
- 0285-72-2222
- Free of charge
MAP
- Hoshino Resorts facilities nearby
Michikusa experts who wrote this article
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Takako Kawaguchi
Editor and writer. After working as an editor for a major publishing company's women's magazine for 10 years, she became a freelance writer. Writes articles for magazines and websites, focusing on travel, interior design, and miscellaneous goods. She enjoys watching sports with her husband and going on hot spring trips.
Michikusa's
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Hoshino Resorts KAI Kinugawa
Kinugawa hot spring, Tochigi
A hot-spring hotel in the forest along the Kinugawa River, where Tochigi folk art shines through the trees
Access by bus 5 minutes by cab from Kinugawa Onsen Station on the Tobu Railway
- Example of Accommodation Rates
- 1 person per night From 30,000 yen