A spot where visitors can Experience making folk crafts of Aomori and Tsugaru, such as kokeshi dolls and kogin stitching.
Folk crafts unique to a particular area can expand the enjoyment of your trip.
Hirosaki City and its suburbs are famous for its goldfish neputa, kokeshi dolls, kogin sashimi, etc. There are many Properties where you can experience making these handicrafts, so feel free to join us.
<Experience spots for making folk crafts in Aomori and Tsugaru>.
1Tsugaru-han Neputa-mura
Try your hand at making rice in a historic rice warehouse!
Tsugaru Clan Neputa Village, located near Hirosaki Castle Park, is a rice warehouse that has been used as a workshop for the production of folk crafts and handicrafts since the days of the Tsugaru Domain. Inside the building, visitors can observe craftsmen making Tsugaru lacquerware, kogin stitching, kokeshi dolls and koma, and Tsugaru nishikie (neputa and kite painting), as well as experience painting goldfish neputas, apple-shaped earthenware bells, and dove flutes.
For the goldfish neputa, the face is painted with sumi ink on a neputa with paper attached in advance, then the face, tail fin, scales, etc. are painted with melted wax, and finally colored with dyes. The tail fin and body can be boldly colored, but the face should be finished with attention to detail.
Cute folk crafts make great souvenirs!
The goldfish neputa originated as lanterns for children to carry during the Hirosaki Neputa Festival. Unlike large neputas with heroic paintings, the goldfish neputa is smaller and prettier. Painting a goldfish neputa takes about one hour to one and a half hours, and painting an apple clay bell and a pigeon flute takes about 30 minutes to one hour.
There are many other experiences available, so if there is something you are interested in, go ahead and try it. With the exception of ceramics and Tsugaru lacquerware, you can take home your finished work as it is, making it a perfect souvenir of your trip. In addition to the handcrafting experience, visitors can also try their hand at playing the Tsugaru shamisen (reservations required).
- Tsugaru Han Neputa Village
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61 Kameko-cho, Hirosaki-shi, Aomori MAP
From JR Hirosaki Station, take the Hama-no-machi/Ishiwatari line of the Konan Bus (approx. 15 min.), alight at Kamego-cho Kakaku (Kamego-cho corner), and walk approx. 1 min.
9:00-17:30 (last admission at 17:00)
No holidays
Admission: Adults 550 yen, high school and junior high school students 350 yen, elementary school students 200 yen, toddlers (3 years and older) 100 yen
Experience fee: goldfish neputa painting and apple clay bell painting: 1,150 yen / pigeon flute painting: 1,350 yen
0172-39-1511
Fee required（Free for 1 to 2 hours depending on Property availability)
2Kanayama-yaki Pottery Workshop Chubachi
The careful instruction is well-reputed! Experience pottery making by reservation only!
Kanayama Pottery Ceramic Workshop Chubachi is located on the outskirts of Goshogawara City, near the Kanayama Grand Reservoir. Here, visitors can experience pottery making using a potter's wheel and hand-bi neri while enjoying the waterside scenery. When spinning the rokuro, you can try your hand at making any kind of bowl, teacup, or plate you like. There are many things to take care of, such as keeping the clay wet at all times, the angle of your wrist, how to place your fingers, and where to apply pressure, but the instructor is always there to assist you, so even beginners can feel comfortable. It is interesting to see how the shape of the clay changes rapidly with the movement of your hands, and you can feel a sense of fulfillment.
The finished product is unpredictable and interesting!
Kanayama Pottery is made of clay from the Kanayama Great Reservoir. The clay, which is rich in iron, changes color depending on how it is exposed to fire and how the ashes are covered, creating a unique texture.
For the Rokuro experience, 1.5 kg of clay can be used freely. You may make two identical pieces or one different piece each. The time required varies depending on the type of vessel, but ranges from 30 minutes to 1 hour and 30 minutes. After the pottery is cut off from the potter's wheel, the instructor will later do the final shaping, dry it, and put it in the kiln to fire it. The finished pottery will be delivered two to three months later.
- Chubachi Ceramic Art Class, Kanayama Pottery
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- 107-4 Chiyotsuru, Kanayama, Goshogawara, Aomori MAP
- 13 min. drive from JR Goshogawara Station
- Consultation required. Reservations required.
- Closed on weekends and holidays
- Experience of pottery making (within 60 minutes): 1,728 yen, 1.5 kg of clay: 3,240 yen
Tebineri: 1,512 yen for adults, 1,188 yen for children (shipping costs for both types of work are extra). - 080-8488-2485
- Free of charge
3Tsugaru Folklore Crafts Museum & Tsugaru Kokeshi Doll Museum
Let's make the one and only kokeshi doll in the world!
The Tsugaru Folklore and Crafts Museum in Kuroishi City has a theater where live Tsugaru shamisen performances are held, a store that also serves as a traditional craftsman's studio, and the Tsugaru Kokeshi Doll Museum, where visitors can experience Tsugaru lacquerware, wood craft (making beech puzzles and hiba nameplates), pottery, and Tsugaru Kokeshi dolls. One of the most popular activities is painting Tsugaru Kokeshi dolls. A craftsman from the Tsugaru Kokeshi Craftsmen's Association teaches visitors how to paint and balance the kokeshi dolls. It is up to you whether you want to imitate traditional kokeshi or stick to your own original style. The use of five colors (black, yellow, red, green, and blue) is also an important point to show your sense. The process takes from 40 minutes to one hour.
Tsugaru Kokeshi Museum attracts kokeshi doll lovers from all over Japan.
In recent years, the cuteness of traditional kokeshi dolls has been reevaluated, and young artists have come up with innovative designs. The store at the Tsugaru Kokeshikan features not only works by well-known artists, but also many cute kokeshis, such as those nested like matryoshkas and those wearing hats. The second-floor paid exhibition room displays 4,000 traditional kokeshi dolls from 11 different lines of kokeshi dolls, mainly Tsugaru kokeshi, and is well worth a visit.
- Tsugaru Folk Crafts Museum, Tsugaru Kokeshi Doll Museum
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- 65-1 Fukuro-tomiyama, Kuroishi-shi, Aomori MAP
- Approx. 25 min. by car from JR Hirosaki Stn.
- 9:00 - 17:00 (Mon. - 16:00 from December to March)
- Open daily (Sun.) (Each workshop is closed on its own day.)
- Experience: Tsugaru lacquerware, woodcraft, ceramics, and Tsugaru Kokeshi doll painting: 1,500 yen each
Admission to paid exhibition rooms: Adults 320 yen - 0172-59-5300
- Free of charge
4Kawasaki Dyeing Factory
Experience indigo dyeing in a traditional space
Kawasaki Dyeing Factory, located near Hirosaki Castle Park, offers an indigo-dyeing experience. First, decide on an item, such as a handkerchief or bandana, and choose your favorite pattern. There are two methods of dyeing: one is to draw a circle by pinching the cloth and fastening it with a rubber band, and the other is to dye the twisted and pinched cloth in a basket, but both methods are simple. The finished product is unpredictable for beginners, but that is part of the fun. When the cloth is ready, it is soaked in a jar filled with dye solution for two minutes. When the jar is pulled up and exposed to air, the dye oxidizes and changes color. After repeating the process two or three times, the dye is rinsed and dried to complete the process. The process takes about 30 minutes.
You will be impressed by the vivid indigo color.
The Kawasaki Dyeing Factory developed as an official merchant of the Tsugaru domain. The factory was built in the late Edo period (1603-1868), and visitors learn about the history of indigo dyeing and the wisdom of people's daily lives preserved in the building before experiencing the indigo dyeing process. You will also receive a detailed explanation of the indigo dyeing process. The dye solution used to dye the cloth is a mixture of fermented indigo leaves and wood ashes, which are then fermented further. The more active the microorganisms, the better the dyeing, so the artisans are constantly adjusting the temperature and alkalinity of the dye solution and pouring sake into the solution to feed the microorganisms. The depth of traditional dyeing created with only natural materials is astonishing.
- Kawasaki Dyeing Factory
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- 63 Kameko-cho, Hirosaki-shi, Aomori MAP
15 min. ride on Konan Bus from JR Hirosaki Stn. on the Hamanomachi/Ishiwatari Line, a short walk from the Kamego-cho Kakari stop.- 9:00-17:00 (winter - 16:00)
- Thursdays
- Handkerchief 1,100 yen / Bandana 2,000 yen / Silk scarf 2,200 yen and up, etc.
- 0172-35-6552
- Free of charge
5Shimaya
Beautiful geometric patterns appear with each stitch.
A workshop on "Kogin Sashi," a traditional Tsugaru stitching technique, is popular at "Shimaya," a handicraft store in Hirosaki City. First, you choose the color combination of fabric and thread and the pattern you want to use. After deciding where to begin stitching, the participants count the stitches on the fabric and check with a sample to see how many stitches to leave open and how many stitches to thread, and then stitch one row at a time horizontally. At first, it is difficult to count the stitches, but as the pattern appears, it becomes easier to count the stitches and you can get absorbed in the work. When the stitching is finished, have them press the button with a machine to make it into a walnut button, and attach an elastic to complete the process. The process takes 30 minutes to one hour.
Kogin Sashimi is the fruit of wisdom and sense of life
During the workshop, you will also learn about the background of "Kogin Sashi" and its characteristics. It is said that "kogin-sashi" was born among the farmers of the Tsugaru domain in the Edo period (1603-1867), and its purpose was to embroider on hand-made clothes to make the fabric thicker to protect them from the cold and to reinforce the parts that were easily frayed. Of course, it also served the purpose of being fashionable, and hundreds of geometric patterns were created, many of which have names in the Tsugaru dialect. White threads on a navy blue background is the traditional style, but depending on the color combination, the patterns can look Scandinavian. Shimaya also sells colorful kogin stitch production kits.
Local Guide who was in charge of this article
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