Short stra w comes in useful
SOFT rush for making the covers of tatami straw mats, a key component of traditional Japanese-style rooms, is discarded if it does not grow to a certain length.
A tatami craftsman in Choshi, Chiba Prefecture, Japan, however, has come up with an idea that has proved a hit among domestic and overseas customers alike: creating unique goods using the shorter rush.
Kentaro Aoyagi, 39, the fourth-generation owner of a tatami shop dating back to the Taisho era (1912-1926), has begun developing bags, wallets and other products using the shorter material.
Akie Abe, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s wife, is a fan of his designs, which she describes as having the “warm touch of tatami”. She has even presented his products to Catherine, wife of Britain’s Prince William, and other famous people.
Soft rush that does not grow to a height of at least 90cm is usually discarded. Every time Aoyagi visit Kumamoto Prefecture to buy the material, he feels depressed seeing farmers dumping the shorter rush and laments that it is not used.
“Farmers grew [both the discarded and used rush] with the same passion,” Aoyagi says. “I wondered if the thrown away rush could be used for something else.”
Taking advantage of his previous career working for a design company, Aoyagi came up with the idea of developing fashionable accessories. He designed bags, wallets, a diary cover and other items made partially of soft rush.
He asked a workshop in Tokyo he has long worked with to buy shorter soft rush from farmers in Kumamoto Prefecture and begin producing the goods.
Aoyagi’s tatami goods line began selling online in 2013, and the website has received orders not only from Japan but also France, Hong Kong and the United States.
“We receive many orders from foreign customers who love Japan’s craftwork culture,” Aoyagi says.
The tatami craftsman came to know Akie Abe through a mutual acquaintance.
She regularly uses a bag and name tag designed by Aoyagi, and presented one of his bags to Catherine as a gift when the British royal gave birth to Princess Charlotte.
The Duchess of Cambridge later sent a thank-you letter in which she described the tatami bag as filled with kindness.
Akie also presented a dog collar custom-made by Aoyagi to former US First Lady Michelle Obama.
“Today, more and more households are without tatami,” Akie says at a recent interview. “At such a time, it is wonderful that [Aoyagi] has come up with various ideas to develop products in an effort to promote how great tatami is.”
Aoyagi says he hopes his products will “give customers the opportunity to feel a bit closer to tatami”. – The Yomiuri Shimbun/Asia News Network
The ta ta mig oods lineup ca nb e purcha sed via the W a za Isshin web site a t wa za isshin.jp. P rices for ba g s ra ng e from a b out ¥20,000 to ¥35,000 (R M 78 0 to R M 1,300).