Connecting with others through nothing but toys

Even after opening the shop, he would close it down once every two months, and with nothing but his backpack, he would set out to visit the workshops of local toy artisans throughout Kyushu. Transferring between train lines and bus routes, he would show up at their doors completely unannounced. At first, he made these trips to collect items to fill his shelves, but he became fascinated with the unique charms of local toys as he gradually learned more about how they were originally derived, how they reflect the characteristics of their region, and the sentiments and emotions imbued into them in the environments where they are crafted. He realized that he wanted to tell as many others as he could about them, and to express the extent of his passion, he persisted in visiting even the workshops where his requests to meet had been largely fruitless. One year later, after he had covered the length and breadth of Kyushu, he re-launched his business as a specialty shop for folk crafts and local toys. Today, he maintains connections with more than 50 workshops nationwide.

Looking at the works lining his shelves, it is abundantly clear that he has an eye for beauty. s Shintaro said, “We live in an age when you can basically buy anything you want online, and that’s precisely why I prefer items that you can’t find unless you actually go to where they’re made.” For emphasis, he pointed out a collection of dust-covered items in a corner of his shop. If his instinctual, face-to-face, first impression of an item is “oh, interesting,” “how cute,” or “what in the world…,” he commissions the artisan to make them for him. Some items have been sitting in the shop for nearly five years – ever since it opened, but that’s all a part of the fun. He turns that fact that an item doesn’t sell into an element of the story that he tells of that particular piece.

It is well-known that commoners in Japan have been crafting local varieties of toys since the late Edo period (in the 1770s) using paper, wood, bamboo, clay, and other readily available materials. Ukiyo-e woodblock prints have even featured images of popular toys such as Daruma dolls (carved in the likeness of Bodhidharma), Kokeshi dolls (slender figures carved with a head but no limbs), and Maneki-neko figures (cats with one paw raised as if beckoning). These sorts of local toys, which evolved within the climate and lifestyle of a particular region, have been beloved and familiar playthings for hundreds of years. Their major appeal lies in the fact that, as they reflect the legends, beliefs, aesthetics, and sense of happiness that developed in their region of origin, they possess characteristics and qualities that are unique to that particular region. While many of these forms of art have disappeared with the times, a relatively large number of local varieties of toys continue to be crafted at workshops in Fukuoka.

I traveled to a scenic, costal neighborhood named Tsuyazaki, located within Fukutsu City in north-western Fukuoka Prefecture, in order to visit one of these workshops – Chikuzen Tsuyazaki Ningyou Koubou, a doll artisan workshop that specializes in Tsuyazaki dolls, which have been crafted for more than 240 years.

Makoto Harada, the seventh generation to run the workshop, has been a doll artisan for half a century. Today, he continues to craft dolls together with his eldest son, Shohei. Tsuyazaki dolls are characterized by their simple, rounded shape and vivid coloration. Originally, craftsmen used the local, high-quality porcelain clay to produce various types of household containers and implements, but over time, they began crafting clay dolls as well. Works of art born from this handiwork, which has been passed down through the generations, can of course also be found on the shelves of Shohei’s shop.

Young people are not interested in traditional local toys… For Shohei, who was convinced of this and had never even considered taking over the family business, it was a form of culture shock to see Shohei, who was roughly the same age as him, speak so passionately about his love for traditional local toys. Yet, when he saw Tsuyazaki dolls on display at YAMABIKO YA, it lit a fire within him. Shohei told me about his change of heart at that time. “I had been around these dolls my whole life, but in that shop, I saw them objectively for the very first time.Mr. Segawa’s shop is a very special place where he has collected a huge number of local toys, and it impressed me to see the way that he thoughtfully conveys the unique features of each individual item. Before I knew it, the values that I had held to that point had been overturned.”

Yamabiko-ya
Owner, Shintaro Segawa

Born in Shimabara City, Nagasaki Prefecture. Owner of Yamabiko-ya, which sells local toys from throughout Kyushu, and also a participant in Daruma doll painting activities using original designs at UTAGEYA, an Osaka-based organization promoting Daruma doll art.

Room 101, Yamasa Coop., 2-1-55 Imaizumi, Chuo Ward, Fukuoka City
 

+81-92-753-9402


 

3-14-3 Tsuyazaki, Fukutsu City
 

+81-940-52-0419
 

Interview and text:Natsuki Shinmoto(Chikara)
Translation：Aaron Schwarz 
Photography:Kazuhiro Kaku
Project Direction:Chikara