03. YODOE WAGASA DENSHOKAN / YODOE UMBRELLA PRESERVATION CENTER

 The history of the Yodoe Umbrella goes back to 1821—the late Edo era. A man named Shuzo Kurayoshiya moved from Kurayoshi to Yodoe and started an umbrella shop.

｢淀江傘｣の歴史は、江戸時代後期 文政4(1821)年に倉吉から淀江に来た『倉吉屋周蔵』が傘屋をはじめたことにあります。 

 

 Yodoe was a perfect place for umbrella production. First, it was easy to obtain bamboo, the main material of the umbrella, from nearby forests. Second, the vast sandy beach along the Hino River was suitable for hanging and drying more than 10,000 umbrellas all at once.

淀江は、傘の原料となる竹材を入手しやすく、また日野川沿いの砂地に傘を1万本以上干すことができる土地柄でした。

 

During the Taisho era, the city developed into an “umbrella town” with seventy-one manufacturers and an annual production of 170,000. In 1976, the Yodoe Umbrella manufacturing techniques were registered as an Intangible Cultural Property of the former Yodoe town.

そういった背景もあり、大正時代には製造業者が71軒、年間生産量は17万本にも上る“傘の街"に発展。昭和51年に淀江傘製作技術が旧淀江町の指定無形文化財に指定されています。

 

However, the production volume decreased due to the spread of the western umbrella. In 1984, all the remaining Yodoe umbrella manufacturers went out of business.

しかし洋傘の普及とともに生産量は減少し、昭和59年に｢淀江傘｣の製造業者はすべて廃業してしまいました

 

Today, artisans from the “Yodoe Wagasa Denshokan / Yodoe Umbrella Preservation Center” produce this traditional umbrella by hand—from getting matake bamboo from the forest to the final finish. There are more than seventy processes involved in making this from a single piece of bamboo. 

現在では「淀江傘伝承の会」の職人によって、地元の真竹を使用し、1本1本の傘骨から最後の仕上げまで手作りで淀江傘の制作が行われています。1本の竹から和傘を完成させるまでには、70以上の工程があります。

 

(INFORMATION ABOUT THE WORKSHOP)

（体験メニュー）

 

＊Reservations are required at least a week prior to the experience. 

＊Five or more participants older than elementary school student age are required to conduct a workshop.

＊要予約(1週間前まで)・最低催行人数：5名・対象：小学生以上

 

＊Lampshade making (large: ¥11,000, small: ¥6,600) 

＊Origami umbrella made of Inshu Washi paper (large: ¥1,000, medium: ¥700, small: ¥500)

＊ランプスタンド胴張り体験(大11,000円・小6,600円)

＊因習和紙で作る折り紙傘(大1,000円・中700円・小500円)

 

＊Hours: 9AM¬–5 PM

＊開館時間：9時～17時

 

＊Closed: Sundays, Mondays, holidays, New Year Holiday season

＊休館日：日・月・祝日、年末年始

 

【年代（ねんだい）】

Edo Period　江戸時代（えどじだい）

About 200 years ago　約 200 年前

【Correct Answer】S. Tung oil（桐油）

 

＊Perilla oil: Pale yellow oil obtained from perilla seeds. In addition to food, it was also used as paint and varnish. It was used as paint for lampshades and umbrellas in the old days.

＊荏油(えのあぶら)…エゴマの種から得られる淡黄色の油。食用とするほか、ペンキ・ワニスなどに使用されます。 古くは灯用や雨傘などの塗料に用いました。

 

＊Flaxseed oil: Yellowish dry oil obtained from mature flaxseeds. In addition to food, it was also used as a binder for oil paints, finishing wooden products, waxing floors, and the key oil for aroma (overseas). In the past, it was used for oil papers for medical purposes.

＊亜麻仁油(あまにゆ)…成熟した亜麻の種子から得られる、黄色っぽい乾性油。食用のほか、油絵具のバインダーや木製品の仕上げ、床材のワックス、海外ではアロマのキーオイル、昔は医療用の油紙などにも用いられていました。

 

＊Tung oil: Fats and oils are obtained by squeezing tung tree seeds (seed nuclei). Due to its toxicity, it is not used as food and has been used mainly for industrial purposes for a long time.

＊桐油(きりあぶら)…アブラギリ類の種子（種核）を搾油して得られる油脂。毒性があるため食用に用いられず、主に工業用途に古くから使用されてきました。

 

＊Camelia oil: This is a vegetable oil extracted from the seeds of the Camellia japonicum, a member of the Camellia family. In addition to food, it is also used as a raw material for cosmetics, medicines, and soaps. 

＊椿油…ツバキ科ツバキ属のヤブツバキの種子から採取される植物性油脂。食用のほか、化粧品、薬品、また石鹸などの原料としても用いられます。

 

＊Japanese Umbrellas are waterproofed by wiping them with a cloth soaked in a blend of perilla, linseed, and tung oils.

＊和傘は、荏油(えのあぶら)・亜麻仁油(あまにゆ)・桐油(きりあぶら)の3種類の油をブレンドして布に含ませて挽(ひ)き、防水加工をしています。