Sunami Tōru Shōten, founded in 1886, has been crafting items from igusa for five generations. In previous generations, his family specialized in weaving igusa for hand-dyed goza (Hana-goza) and mats used in tatami production.
Artists & Brands
Sunami Tōru Shōten, founded in 1886, has been crafting items from igusa for five generations. In previous generations, his family specialized in weaving igusa for hand-dyed goza (Hana-goza) and mats used in tatami production.
As his father passed away and his grandfather is getting older, the production of Sunami Tōru Shōten has nearly ceased. It was his grandmother who continued to weave bags with igusa as Sunami was growing up.
Bags crafted from different plant fibers were commonly used in Japan post-WWII for carrying food purchased from the black markets. In Kurashiki, the most accessible fiber was the excess igusa that was too short to be used for tatami production. Now, Sunami Tōru Shōten focuses on crafting bags and trivets made from igusa.
This was the second time we visited his atelier. Ryuki Sunami welcomed us at the entrance and gave us a tour of the place. His workshop is full of tools, crafts, and artifacts he had accrued over the years.
Sunami is quietly known among circles of Mingei craft enthusiasts for his knowledge and the genuine love for crafts that he shows. Historically, Kurashiki is one of the key locations of the Mingei movement, a prominent cultural movement of the early 20th century led by thinkers as well as artisans specializing in their own crafts. The movement sought to recognize the value of folk craft as a distinct line of aesthetic theory from so-called “high art.”
Ryuki Sunami exists within this long line of artisans who have pushed the boundaries of our understanding of folk craft. He, along with other artisans and scholars, composes the editorial committee of the magazine _Mingei_, continuing this legacy.
As we leave behind their home and atelier, we pass the tranquil beauty of rice fields stretching across the landscape. Remarkably, much of this area lay beneath seawater until the 19th century, when large-scale land development transformed it into the flatlands we see today. Only in recent years has the soil’s salinity decreased enough to support rice cultivation.
Many of these rice fields are owned by families who still practice subsistence farming. Sunami himself manages a small plot, growing rice to sustain his family while collecting straw to create some craft in his free time. Yet, as rice production has expanded in the region, igusa—once grown locally in Kurashiki—has gradually faded from the fields. Now, their igusa is sourced from Kumamoto instead.
In these cycles of change, both in landscape and livelihood, we find in Ryuki Sunami a powerful lesson: an enduring respect for folk craft and a commitment to carry it forward.
-> See works of Sunami Tōru Shōten on our online store
Gato - Ceramics and Japanese Food