It is said that in mid-Edo era (around 1720 AD), a craftsman named Hanhichi from the Inshuu area (what is now Tottori Prefecture) came to stay in Kinosaki Onsen.
To make money to pay for his lodging expenses, Hanhichi sold bamboo flutes and spinning tops decorated with colored barley straw.
After this, the straw craft was also used to decorate chests, boxes, and wooden prayer plaques.
After the Meiji period (1868-1912 AD) began, famous artists visited Kinosaki and drew sketches for the straw craft’s designs, and thus straw craft gained popularity as an expensive, popular, and unparalleled handicraft.
Kinosaki Onsen is proud to be the only place in Japan which continues the traditional production of straw craft while preserving the original skills and techniques of the past.
The process for creating Straw Craft is meticulous work – stalks of barley straw are harvested and stripped of their husks before being dyed in various colors.
They are then cut down the middle and flattened out like paper to be cut and pasted onto boxes, brooches, fans, and even postcards.
Mister Kamiya is one of the last surviving master straw craftsmen. At his workshop Kamiya Mingei, visitors can create their own Straw Craft keepsake box under the guidance of a pro!
Many souvenir shops sell Straw Craft works, such as Furuya. The jewelry label Mugi is produced in small batches by Furuya’s owner, primarily focusing on earrings and brooches.
Marusan Souvenir Shop also sells Straw Craft fans, mirrors, and postcards.
Ebisu Mingei, a local art collective, creates a variety of bracelets, brooches, and rings using Straw Craft.
Shop List
Kamiya Mingei
Hyogo, Toyooka, Kinosakicho Yushima, 391 Kiyamachi Square
Furuya
429 Kinosakicho Yushima, Toyooka, Hyogo 669-6101
Marusan Souvenir Shop
406 Kinosakicho Yushima, Toyooka, Hyogo 669-6101
Ebisu Mingei
440 Kinosakicho Yushima, Toyooka, Hyogo 669-6101
Straw craft, called mugiwara zaiku in Japanese, is a unique, traditional handicraft with vibrant colors and intricate patterns that, in all of Japan, is only produced in Kinosaki Onsen.