Episode 01.
Daichi Maekawa
Wood Carver
Japan Heritage Working Group Member
- Born in the Land of Wood Carving
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My father is a wood carver on Inami’s Yokamachi Street. Our home separate from the workshop, so I really only saw him at work during the Taishiden Festival in summer. When I was little, I was always drawing on the back of leaflets or playing with my father’s clay, which would get me lots of compliments from my family, and before I knew it, I was on my way to becoming a wood carver. I went to art college for wood carving, and moved to Berlin after graduating. It was 10 years after the fall of the wall when a big construction boom was happening, and I helped out artists there and learned a lot in terms of culture and art. I returned to Japan after 3 years, lived in Tokyo for 3 years, then came back to Inami as my father’s apprentice. As for my wood carving work, I mostly make charms and gifts.
- Conquering the Wooden Chandelier
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As part of my work for Japan Heritage, I made a wood-carved chandelier. I started out with a rough sketch, then got some advice on decoration and construction. I put my Inami wood carving skills to use in the “hosoge” arabesque flower pattern used in temples and shrines, as well as the other decorations. The work was split between 5 other wood carvers, and we made all the parts out of wood, including the arms and everything that is normally made from glass or metal. You can really see the texture and age of the wood in the final piece. Transoms are an integral part of Inami wood carving culture, so I wanted to transform that into something new to promote our culture both in Japan and overseas.
- The Town Starts with the People
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Apprenticeships and trade schools are a core part of Inami’s traditions, and I think they’ll continue on into the future. But as the masters age, it’s possible that tangential aspects of carving like the production of saws and joints will be lost. Recently, more carpenters have decided to focus on joints and fittings, and they need support to open up and maintain their shops. In order to make Inami a place that our kids can be proud of, I think we need to show them that we adults enjoy our work. I want our town to be a cool place where we can all make a future together.
Episode 02.
Sakuya (Narumi Nanbu)
Creator, Cosplayer
Japan Heritage Working Group Member
- Bringing Change Through Cosplay
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I first got involved in cosplay after attending Toyama Cosplay Festa. The cosplayers were all so beautiful and cool that I decided I wanted to try it too. I eventually left Inami to go to junior college in Kanazawa, where I studied fashion and design. During my studies, I went to Shoka Sonjuku Academy and met Yusuke Iseya, who played Shoin Yoshida in a period drama, and it opened my mind to new ways of thinking. At school, I held a Cosplay x Inami Wood Carving event which went really well. Right now, I’m working part-time at Takase Shrine while I continue with my cosplay and art.
- Collaborating with Wood Carving
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I attended Tourism Expo 2018 along with the Japan Heritage team to promote our efforts to attendees. I wore an original cosplay design based on a wood-carved guitar on display at the booth. The guitar gained a lot of recognition and showed up in a number of TV shows, and I like to think my cosplay heightened the impact. In the age of smartphones and social networks, I think there are a lot of opportunities to collaborate with different creators that could take Inami wood carving in a new and exciting direction.
- Sharing the Beauty of Wood
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I love Inami. The town has so much history, tradition, and human warmth that gives it a unique atmosphere and feeling. My family lives near the roadside station Kibori no Sato, so growing up I would always smell the fragrance of wood and hear the sounds of carving chisels as I walked to school. I took it for granted until I moved away for school, and now I feel like I had something really special. None of my classmates in junior college knew about Inami wood carving, and they didn’t seem to care much. I want to share these carvings and all their elegant, intricate details that I never seem to get tired of, and I hope I can make my generation more interested in Inami.
Episode 03.
Nayumi Matsukura
Regional Revitalization Cooperative
(Inami Machinaka)
Japan Heritage Working Group Member
- Drawn to the Mountainside Town
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I moved to Inami in June 2019 as a member of the Regional Revitalization Cooperative after marrying my partner from Toyama. I grew up near the ocean in Gamagori City in Aichi Prefecture, so seeing the mountain scenery is very novel to me. I especially love when the fog rolls down from the mountain and it looks almost unreal. It’s a lot of fun just walking around, with the impressive Zuisenji Temple, old-fashioned Yokamachi Street, and tasteful soba and sweets shops in the back alleys. When I was first assigned to the Cooperative, the Japan Heritage chairman reached out to me, and that’s how I got involved with the movement. I’ve always been interested in art and loved visiting art museums when I studied abroad in the US, so I’m eager to learn more about traditional art and crafts.
- Providing a Fresh Perspective
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I moved to Inami in June 2019 as a member of the Regional Revitalization Cooperative after marrying my partner from Toyama. I grew up near the ocean in Gamagori City in Aichi Prefecture, so seeing the mountain scenery is very novel to me. I especially love when the fog rolls down from the mountain and it looks almost unreal. It’s a lot of fun just walking around, with the impressive Zuisenji Temple, old-fashioned Yokamachi Street, and tasteful soba and sweets shops in the back alleys. When I was first assigned to the Cooperative, the Japan Heritage chairman reached out to me, and that’s how I got involved with the movement. I’ve always been interested in art and loved visiting art museums when I studied abroad in the US, so I’m eager to learn more about traditional art and crafts.
- Making Dreams Come True
Through Connections
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My life in Inami is just getting started. I like to talk with people, so my first goal is to get to know a lot of people and expand my network of connections. I want to work with members in other regions of the Cooperative to see what’s going on in each other’s areas and liven things up together. I like movies and reading, so I’d like to use those interests to further deepen my connections. As a member of the Regional Revitalization Cooperative, I’ll work hard every day to not only provide help and support where it’s needed, but also connect with the community however I can, which I think is an important role to fill.
