Keep it long, treasure it long.

Take a cool look with a fan

Astringent uchiwa that has become synonymous with Kutami and still inherits its traditional techniques. "The more you use the astringent uchiwa, the more familiar it becomes and the more it tastes." This is Kurikawa Shoten).

Uchiwa is said to have been around since the Edo period, but since it became possible to cool off with home appliances, it has gradually become like a craft. Even so, in the hot and humid summer of Japan, if you fan it with a fan, the sensible temperature will drop, so it is a daily necessities that you want to use indoors as a power saving measure or outdoors. The wind that you feel from the uchiwa is more comfortable than an air conditioner or a fan, and because of its taste, it is a seasonal item that you want to have as a summer accessory for fireworks festivals and Bon festival dances, especially for yukata.

Birth flower of Kurikawa Shoten Hana Shibu Uchiwa. The flowers drawn on each Uchiwa are so beautiful that you can see them, and if you lean against them even when you are not using them, they will be useful as interior accessories that can easily incorporate Japaneseness into modern houses.
Many of the uchiwa were drawn with a margin to make them feel summer, such as morning glory and kikyo, but the birth flower astringent uchiwa is a beauty that looks like a little luxury item with the pattern drawn on the entire surface. It is also recommended as a birthday or baby gift or a seasonal gift.
Birth flowers are 12 kinds of flowers that are named after each month from January to December, and each has an attractive flower language. It's wonderful to be able to express gratitude to the other party and the feeling of celebrating a new start with flower language. In addition, they are proud of their longevity and are free from insects, so the astringent uchiwa of the visitors is appreciated as a lucky charm. Kutami Uchiwa, which is made by hand finishing all domestically produced natural materials and attracting attention for its unique color beauty that deepens with age, is likely to be a gift that will remind you of the coming summer as one of the tasty everyday items. is. The quaint wrapping that is exciting when you open it is also wonderful.

Beautiful fan gesture

A visitor uchiwa that is also designated as a traditional craft in Kumamoto prefecture. By applying persimmon astringent from persimmon to the surface of the uchiwa on Japanese paper, not only does it keep it strong, but the tannins contained in the persimmon astringent also act as an insect repellent, and the color becomes darker year by year and you can enjoy the change. Kakishibu Washi, which is carefully pasted one by one by craftsmen and finished through several processes, gradually becomes more tasty as the days go by. It is said that it will last for more than 100 years if it is not used roughly, and it will last a lifetime. Why don't you spend time enjoying the pleasant breeze created from the handicraft and the color of persimmon astringency?

Making traditional Uchiwa fans for over 400 years

After Kyoto and Marugame, the Kutami district of Yamaga City, Kumamoto Prefecture, which is said to be one of Japan's three major producers of uchiwa. What is transmitted there is the astringent uchiwa produced by the traditional traditional manufacturing method of drawing persimmon astringency on handmade Japanese paper. It is said that the beginning was around 1600, when a traveling priest from Shikoku taught the method of making a uchiwa as a reward for the inn.

Yamaga-gun, which is the production center of Kutami astringent uchiwa, was blessed with a material called Shigeru Takebayashi in addition to the production area of ​​robust Japanese paper. Has become a major industry in Japan. At its peak, 16 stores produced 5 million bottles a year, but now it is a valuable product that is only available at Kurikawa Shoten. In addition, Kurikawa Shoten accepts handicapped people as creators and completes 18 steps of processes with skilled creators, inheriting the techniques of traditional crafts and their social role. Through the astringent uchiwa, we are conveying a culture that values ​​things and makes them last longer.