PROTECTING AND
REINVIGORATING THE CRAFT OF

FUKUSHIMA
PAPIER -MÂCHÉ
An artisan exploring a new form of folk craft after the Great East
Japan Earthquake has been collaborating with companies
and incorporating characters from around the world toreinvigorate the industry with fresh ideas. We asked her
about the earthquake’s influence on her thinking
and the ideas that go into her work.
An okiagari koboshi is an eggshaped doll that generally imitates achild’s face and always stands backup when knocked down, while
an akabeko is a red cow ornament
with a swaying head. Both of thosetraditional papier-mâché folk toys
are said to ward off misfortune.
They come from the Aizu region in
Fukushima Prefecture, which wasseverely damaged by the massive
tremor—known officially as theGreat East Japan Earthquake—

The workshop employs over 20 artisans, ranging
in age from those in their 20s to those in their80s, each of whom managing a different part ofthe papier-mâché-making process.

The ornamental cows painted with seigaiha
patterns were created in response to theearthquake and subsequent tsunami. The red
thread connecting the head and body is based ona Japanese legend about a red thread thatconnects people.

Nishi-Aizu

that occurred in 2011.
Papier-mâché painter HAYAKAWA
Minako said that when theearthquake struck, “It shook
like nothing I’d ever experienced
before. I felt sure that something
terrible had happened.” The
Nozawa Folk Arts workshop
where she works lies in the inland
Aizu region and did not suffer too
much damage; the coastal areasof the prefecture, however, wereafflicted by a tsunami in addition
to the shaking of the earthquake,causing tremendous destruction.
“I felt uncomfortable about
painting designs in a warm place
while other people were undersuch stress at what was still avery cold time of year. On theother hand, I thought that even
if I were to visit areas where
the destruction was greatest, I
couldn’t be of any help there.”At the time, a movement
started to support thedisaster area through thepurchase of folk crafts.

HAYAKAWA Minako with akabeko ornaments(aka meaning red and beko meaning cow).
Fukushima has several legends involving red cowsthat reputedly ended a plague and helped rebuild
a temple destroyed in an earthquake.

In addition to getting people tothink about traditional folk crafts
again, the movement spawned
momentum to produce newworks. Hayakawa noticed that
this development was “connectedto the reconstruction” in the formof giving impetus, so she started
producing entirely new papiermâché designs.
The first new item that she
made was a negaidama, or “wishball,” painted onto an okiagari
koboshi with traditional auspicious
Japanese patterns. Hayakawa later
produced an ornamental cow witha wave crest pattern called seigaiha
These okiagari koboshi are “wish balls” painted
with traditional Japanese patterns. Each one
represents a different wish, such as good health,prosperity of descendants, or business success.

when she joined the Akabeko
Project, which supports theaffected region’s reconstruction
through painting workshops andoriginal akabeko exhibitions bycreators from different fields.
Seigaiha is a traditional Japanesepattern; the endless wave design
embodies the idea of everlastinghappiness. On the other hand, thepattern is also reminiscent of thetsunami that caused such tragicdevastation. “Although I hesitatedto say so right after the earthquake,
I never wanted people to forget
the tsunami. I also painted thecow with this pattern to express
determination to overcome thetsunami.”
An official from the Scandinavian
Tourist Board (now Visit Norway)
who saw Hayakawa’s ambitious
work approached her with anentirely unexpected idea for thereconstruction effort: a papiermâché Okiagari Munch based on
The Scream, the best-known workby Norwegian painter Edvard
Munch. Hayakawa was initiallypuzzled, but was won over when
she came to understand that thehistory of The Scream—which
had been stolen and returned
several times—shares somethingin common with the okiagari

koboshi dolls thatalways stand back up
after being knocked
down. The work
was an instant hit,
showing the world theskilled crafting and allureof Fukushima’s papier-mâché.
Hayakawa and the workshop
have always worked on original
products with innovative designs
and have conducted numerous
collaborations with variouscompanies. The workshop
handles a wide variety of orders
while respecting tradition andartisans and focusing on quality.
Hayakawa said, “Just because
something will sell doesn’t mean
we have to make it. We always
Right: Painting on paper pasted over a wooden
mold and dried. Part of the appeal of thehandcrafted works is their subtle differences inexpression.
Bottom: Hayakawa shown painting an ornament.
She is the president of Nozawa Folk Arts inNishi-Aizu, Fukushima Prefecture. She has beensurrounded by papier-mâché craftsmen, including
her father, who is the workshop’s former president,
since she was a child. After finishing high school,
she took over painting duties at the workshop.

think about whether there ismeaning for an item to be madein the form of Fukushima papiermâché and question ourselves if
the artisans are being pushed toohard.”
Fukushima papier-mâché connects
people with a wish for a happy
future. Hayakawa’s current goal
is to pass on this tradition—
rediscovered due to the earthquake—to future generations.
The Okiagari Munch
ornaments were released
in 2013 to celebrate the150th anniversary ofEdvard Munch’s birth.