Kumamoto City Handicrafts Promotion Center

• 

  Kumamoto City Handicrafts Promotion Center

  Around the beginning of the Kamakura period (around 1190), Kawajiri Saburo Saneaki was sent down as a landowner to Kawajiri no Sou (later Kawajiri), which since then has prospered as a port town using water transportation. Known as a collection point for about 200,000 bales of tribute rice collected, the Kawashiri area has a long story as a craftsman town and many traces of this history and culture remain.A facility where visitors can see, touch, and experience traditional handicrafts in a dreamy part of town reminiscent of the Middle Ages.

  The picture part of the private collection of the Kumamoto City Crafts Center

• 

  

  Craft Demonstrations

  Craftsmen give daily demonstrations of their work. Visitors can watch up close and personal and enjoy both the advanced craftsmanship skills that Japan boasts to the world and the handmade works that result from these skills. The demonstrations are free of charge and open to all visitors.

• 

  

  Hands-on Experiences

  The museum offers a variety of daily hands-on craft-making experiences that can be enjoyed by both children and adults. Visitors can try making a variety of traditional and modern handicrafts such as Higo zogan (gold inlay), bamboo crafting, woodworking, glass crafting, and leather crafting. There are morning and afternoon sessions, and a material fee is required. (Please inquire in advance if you would like to participate.)

• 

  Year-long Handicraft Classes

  The Kumamoto Handicrafts Promotion Center offers various one-year-long craft classes to foster successors and educate young people in Higo zogan (gold inlay), ceramics, bamboo crafts, woodworking, cloisonné (enamel inlaid in metal), and other handicrafts. All of these classes are held twice a month for one year to teach the basics. These courses are popular among those who wish to acquire skills and decorate their lives with crafts they have made themselves. The classes usually start in the spring, and some participants go on to learn more advanced techniques in independent courses after the one-year class.

The Kumamoto City Handicrafts Promotion Center is a facility that supports the creative activities of individuals, small groups, and organizations.

• 

  Handicraft Festival

  Held once a year in the fall, the Handicraft Festival is an opportunity to appreciate various craftsmen’s wares and purchase products that are available at a special price during the event. Specific services such as knife sharpening and cutting board shaving are also available at a discount. Many people from all over the prefecture come to the festival in search of crafts, making it a very lively event.

• 

  Kawashiri Haru Monogatari (Tale of the Spring)

  Held between February and March every year, the Handicrafts Promotion Center cooperates with a number of local organizations to put on several activities throughout the Kawashiri district. Every year, the entire district comes alive for new sake straight from the brewery, tours of historical sites, and Otera de Festa (a small festival held on the grounds of a temple). (For inquiries, please contact Kumamoto Handicrafts Promotion Center.)

Kumamoto City Crafts Center is a facility that supports the creative activities of individuals, small groups, and organizations in crafts.

• 

  Kura Craft Shop（Store）

  On display is an array of handmade crafts made by more than 60 members of the Kumamoto Crafts Association. Visitors can purchase items that catch their eye and enjoy the fruit of the craftsmen's labor. Special orders are also available, so feel free to consult us.

• 

  Bladesmith’s Workshop

  Kawashiri has been known as "Blade Town" since the Muromachi period, and all types of swords, sickles, gardening tools, and knives have been made here for more than 500 years. The blacksmiths allow visitors to observe the production of Kawashiri knives and can also sharpen and repair knives.

• 

  Pottery Workshop

  A place where ceramic craftsmen create bowls, plates, and vases. Visitors can try molding and painting (for a fee), and then fire their creations, unglazed or glazed, in the center’s kiln. The studio is equipped with 20 hand-cranked potter's wheels that visitors can use to try their hand at making their own tableware.

• 

  Permanent Exhibition Hall

  Throughout the year, crafts and other items from all over Japan are on display. Visitors can enjoy the five seasonal exhibitions and topical crafts that reflect the changing of the seasons.

• 

  Special Exhibition Hall "SO"

  The exhibition hall can be used to display various traditional crafts, group exhibitions of handmade works, an artist’s solo exhibition, and more to promote the appeal of crafts within and outside of the prefecture. It can also be used more broadly as a place for different groups to interact. (Reservations are required and there is a fee to use the facilities.)

• 

  Workshop ”YU”

  This is a space where various craft and hands-on classes can be held in a workshop environment. It can also be used for multi-group briefings and meetings for various groups. (Reservations are required and there is a fee to use the facilities.)

• 

  Cooking Studio "HANA"

  This space is used for everything from Japanese cuisine and pastry cooking classes to traditional Japanese sweets creation and Ikebana flower arrangement classes. (Reservations are required and there is a fee to use the facilities.)

• 

  Conference and Training Room

  This room can be used for meetings, briefings, training sessions, etc. for various groups. (Reservations are required and there is a fee to use the facilities.)