「下本一歩」
Shimomoto Ippo.

高知市鏡に工房を構え、炭焼きと竹製品の制作を営んでいます。炭焼きの傍ら始めた竹細工でしたが、その製品に多くの人が魅了され、竹細工作家として活躍されています。一歩さんの作る竹製品は節を生かしたデザインと燻すことで生まれる黒色が魅力。細部までていねいに作られたカトラリーは、しなやかで手になじみ使いやすい仕上がりになっています。
竹の特長を生かしていろいろな道具を作ってきた一歩さん。「竹でずっとやってきたので、これからも竹でどんなことができるか可能性を探っていきたいです」と語っています。一歩さんの見つめる新しい明日が楽しみです。

He has a workshop in Kagami, Kochi City, where he works as a charcoal burner and bamboo craftsman. He started bamboo crafts while working as a charcoal maker, but many people have been attracted to his products, and he is now active as a bamboo craftsman. The attractive features of the bamboo products made by Kazuho are the designs that make use of the joints and the black color produced by smoking. The cutlery is carefully crafted down to the smallest detail, making it flexible, comfortable, and easy to use in the hand.
Kazuho has been making various tools by taking advantage of the features of bamboo. I have been working with bamboo for a long time, and I would like to continue to explore the possibilities of what I can do with bamboo,” he says. We look forward to the new tomorrow that Kazuho has in store for us.

「ユルクル　弘瀬剛敏・弘瀬いずみ」

Yurukuru, Takatoshi Hirose, Izumi Hirose

2012年に土佐清水市にユルクルを立ち上げ、柿渋リネン製品の制作をしています。ゆるり、くるくる、循環するような物作りがしたいという思いがその名に込められています。
柿渋の品は、まず生地を柿渋に漬けて染め、太陽に干して乾かします。乾かした布を数日寝かせ、次ははけで柿渋を塗って干す、これを4、5回繰り返し、布が染まったら縫製します。さらに仕上げ染めをして、完成までには約3カ月を要します。時間をかけてていねいに作られた柿渋リネンの製品は、使うほどに柔らかくなじみ、風合いが増していきます。
箸袋の留め具のこはぜは、地元の「杜の聲」さんが竹林整備で出た竹を燻した「煤竹」から作ってくれたもの。地元の人たちと、ものを大切に扱うことで生まれたつながりも大切にしています。

In 2012, we established Yurukuru in Tosashimizu City and have been producing persimmon tannin linen products. The name Yurukuru reflects our desire to create products that are yururi, kuru-kuru, or circulating.
Kakishibu products are first dyed by soaking the fabric in persimmon tannin, then drying it in the sun. The dried cloth is left to dry for a few days, and the next time, it is coated with persimmon tannin using a brush and dried, and this process is repeated four or five times. After the cloth is dyed, it is sewn. After the finishing dyeing process, it takes about three months to complete. The more the cloth is used, the softer it becomes and the more its texture increases.
The clasps for the chopstick bags are made from sooty bamboo, which is smoked from bamboo taken from bamboo groves by the local “Mori-no-soudou” bamboo company. We also cherish the connections with the local people that are created through the careful handling of our products.

写真＝河上展儀
Photo by Kawakami Nobuyoshi