Echizen Lacquerware and Echizen Washi Craft Tour with Calligraphy Experience

• • Hibiki SanoSOE Tour Guide

    “We will do our best to guide you so that you can have a fun time in Echizen Sabae and want to come again!”
    Born in Sabae City, Fukui Prefecture in 1998. After working as a local government employee, he was in charge of tourism at SOE.

Recommended Points

• 01
  First, go to the main shrine of Shikiyama Shrine. At the top of the 200 steps, you can see the entire city of Kawada.
• 02
  One of only two lacquerware shrines in Japan.
  It enshrines the god of lacquerware, and inside there are paintings on the ceiling painted by craftsmen.
• 03
  Visit the lacquer workshop
  You might be able to see the actual painting process.
• 04
  Bowl painting experience at Nishikikori Lacquerware Shop
  Feel like a craftsman with a craftsman's brush
• 05
  A visit to Otaki Shrine and Okamoto Shrine, where the god of paper is enshrined
  An important place related to the history of Echizen washi
• 06
  Enjoy traditional dishes from the Kawada area with your meal.
• 07
  Visit Iwano Heizaburo Paper Mill, where large paper is made
  Paper made is often used for Japanese paintings.
  Experience the impressive paper making process and tour the workshop
• 08
  Calligraphy experience using paper made at Iwano Heizaburo Paper Mill
  
  
• 09
  At the end, take a photo with the craftsman

About the Tour

• View Spots
• Tour Contents
• Details

• View Spots

  
  Kawada is a town of Echizen lacquerware with a history of 1500 years. It is said that Echizen lacquerware began when lacquer painting was encouraged after Keitai Tenno successfully repaired his broken crown with lacquer coating.

  On this tour, we will visit two lacquer workshops in the Kawada area.

  

  1500 yen at the lacquer painting workshop where you will be guided through the workshop tour.lasts for yearsEchizen lacquerware production areaLacquer manufacturing and lacquerware that have been passed down to dateWe are disseminating the culture of

  *There is a possibility that you will be guided to a different workshop than the one in the photo. Please note.

  

  Nishikikori Lacquerware Shop is a lacquer workshop with a history of over 100 years.Nishikikori Lacquerware Store is a lacquerware workshop run by brothers in Kawada, the town of Echizen lacquerware. In this experience, you will receive direct instruction from your brother, Masataka Nishikikori, a craftsman at Nishikikori Lacquerware Store, and you will be able to try your hand at lacquering a bowl.

  

  Imadate is a town of Echizen washi paper with a history of 1500 years. It is said that it all began when a beautiful woman came down from the mountains and passed on her Japanese paper-making techniques to the villagers.

  On this tour, we will visit Iwano Heizaburo Paper Mill, a Japanese paper making workshop in the Imadate area.

  

  At Iwano Heizaburo Paper Mill, female craftsmen such as Makiko Iwano, a fourth-generation traditional craftsman, are active. The hemp paper that is mainly made is often used in Japanese paintings, and is a masterpiece that was loved by Yokoyama Taikan. The power of four people making 4 x 7 shaku paper, the largest size of Echizen washi paper, is impressive.

  

  Calligrapher Yoshison Nishiyama started his career as a calligrapher at the age of six and has produced numerous works as a calligrapher. Mr. Nishiyama's works are not bound by calligraphy or form, but instead express the essence of things.

• Tour Contents

  

  During the lacquer workshop tour, you can see the rooms where the craftsmen are actually painting. By looking at the rooms that are separated by process, such as rooms with well-controlled humidity and rooms where lacquer is stocked, you can get a feel for the process of making lacquerware.

  *There is a possibility that you will be guided to a different workshop than the one in the photo. Please note.

  

  Next, we will head to the Nishikikori lacquerware store.First, Mr. Nishikikori shows us a model, and then we actually apply the lacquer ourselves using the craftsman's tools.

  
  Enjoy traditional dishes passed down in the Kawada area, the town of lacquer, on your dining table.
  This dish, which has been handed down as a hospitality dish since ancient times, is an exquisite dish prepared by local mothers.
  You can enjoy your meal while listening to various stories about the ingredients used, the gozen, and the culture of Kawada.

  

  Okata Shrine and Otaki Shrine. Japan's only Japanese paper god, Kawakami Gozen, who is said to have taught the local people how to make washi paper long ago, is enshrined here. The shrine building, which has a complex four-layered cypress bark roof, has been designated as a nationally important cultural property and is an impressive piece of architecture.

  

  Iwano Heizaburo Paper Mill's Echizen Washi is characterized by its hemp paper, which is made by mixing hemp into the paper raw material, and its largest paper, which requires four people to make. This time you can take a tour of such a workshop.

  *Depending on the situation at the workshop, it may not be possible to observe the actual crafting process.

  

  Lastly, there was a calligraphy experience with calligrapher Yoshison Nishiyama at an old folk house next to the workshop.
  You can write on colored paper made at Iwano Heizaburo Paper Mill and take it home as a souvenir.

  That's it for the tour. At the end, we will take a commemorative photo.

  A journey through the two cities of Kawada and Imadate, which are watched over by the gods of lacquerware and washi paper, and come into contact with the techniques and thoughts of the craftsmen. Would you also like to visit the production area of ​​Echizen lacquerware and Echizen washi paper?

• Details

  • Tour Details

    code:CIT1005
    Time required: about 8 hours
    Minimum number of participants: 4 people
    Maximum number of people: 8 people
    Tour conductor: Yes. A local guide will guide you.

  • Meeting place

    Meeting place	Right outside the east exit of Fukui Station 910-chome Teyori, Fukui City, Fukui Prefecture 0858-XNUMX
    Access	by car Approximately 10 minutes by car from Hokuriku Expressway Fukui IC By train 1 minute walk from JR Fukui Station east exit
    Parking	Available

    View on Google map

  • Scheduled date

    Event time: 9:00~

    This tour is on a request basis.
    After confirming the purchase, we will ask you about 3 possible dates and make adjustments.

  • Course content

    1) Gather at JR Fukui Station East Exit
    2) Tour orientation
    3) Visit Shikiyama Shrine (Lacquerware Shrine)
    4) Tour of lacquer workshop
    5) Painting experience at Nishikikori Lacquerware Shop
    6) Traditional cuisine lunch from Kawada area
    7) Visit Okada Shrine and Otaki Shrine
    8) Workshop tour of Iwano Heizaburo Paper Mill
    9) Calligraphy experience with calligrapher Yoshison Nishiyama
    10) JR Echizen Takefu Station disbanded

    *The lacquer painting workshop and Japanese paper making workshop may change depending on the situation. Please note.

  • Included

    ・Factory tour fee
    ・Workshop experience fee
    ・Guide fee
    ・Lunch fee
    ・Vehicle arrangement fee
    　

  • Cancellation Policy

    ・Cancellation 10 to 8 days before the tour date: 20% of the tour price
    ・Cancellation 7 to 2 days before the tour date: 30% of the tour price
    ・Cancellation on the day before the tour: 40% of the tour price
    ・Cancellation on the day: 50% of the tour price
    ・No contact or cancellation after the tour has started: 100% of the tour fee
    　* If it becomes difficult to participate on the day before or on the day of the experience, please contact the following experience directly.
    　　Contact: SOE TEL 0778-78-9967

  • Precautions

    ・Depending on the day, we may not be able to tour the workshop, in which case we may be able to provide explanations at another workshop. Thank you for your understanding.
    ・As the factory is run by a small number of people, not all processes of lacquer painting and washi paper making are carried out every day. Thank you for your understanding.
    ・Lacquer may cause rashes, so please be careful when participating. If you get a rash, the management/company cannot be held responsible. We ask for your understanding.
    - Lacquer takes time to dry. After the trial, please wait 4 to 5 weeks for the product to be delivered to your home.

    ・The inside of the washi workshop is wet, so there are some slippery areas. Please refrain from wearing high-heeled shoes, sandals, or platform shoes.
    ・There is no air conditioning in the factory. It's hot in the summer, so please bring your own towel, and in the winter, it's cold, so please wear warm clothes.

    ・If you touch any machines without permission, you may be injured. Please act according to the staff's instructions.

    ・Smoking is prohibited on the factory premises.
    ・Photography is allowed, but commercial use is prohibited.
    ・Children over 10 years old can participate (accompanied by a guardian).
    ・We are not responsible for any accidents, injuries, etc. in the factory caused by the customer.
    ・On the day of the tour, we will be walking around the area, so please wear comfortable shoes and clothes that are easy to move in.
    ・When participating, please come in clothes that you don't mind getting dirty.

  • Contact Us

    General Incorporated Association SOE
    Tel: 0778-78-9967
    Email: welcome@soe.or.jp