い草の枕を作る。老舗企業が地域で守る１００年続くい草製品の製造現場に密着

い草の枕を作る。老舗企業が地域で守る１００年続くい草製品の製造現場に密着

Weaving with the Community
A Close Look at Rush Grass Craftsmanship A family-run dyeing workshop An 83-year-old grandmother artisan still working! 80-year-old active
Super-skilled rush mat weaver! Diverse Japanese patterns created using a Jacquard loom We closely followed the harvesting of rush grass! The process of making interior products from rush grass Experience the best sleep of your life!
Click the Kickstarter link in the description right now!! Oki Town, Mizuma District, Fukuoka Prefecture Established in 1886
Ikekiko Corporation We’re a full-range interior maker specializing in rush grass products like tatami, kotatsu tables, rugs, and bedding. The company’s showroom Company-grown rush field Internal company announcement Am I the strongest in the industry? July
Beginning of close-up filming of the harvesting of rush grass Today is the final day of the four-day harvesting process. 6:25
Work had already begun in the fields. IG-5G
Kubota-manufactured rush harvester This year, the rainy season ended early, and harvesting took place in hot, sunny weather. Cutting the rush grass is the responsibility of the designated supervisor.
Mr. Keisuke Uchii Igrass has long, sponge-like stems with a pleasant aroma and great moisture absorption. Cut 40 to 60 bundles and load them. Harvesting complete
Proceed to loading once completed Loading truck New employees At Ikekiko, new employees experience grass cutting as part of their training. Loading complete Heading to drying Ikekiko’s own drying facility Unloading cargo with a crane To the washing area Rinse off the dirt from the straw mats with the shower. Cleaning complete Place in the dryer Set complete (Drying) Calculated backwards from 19 hours Set the drying time to end at 12:00 the next day. Perform a 19-hour drying process from 5:00 PM to 12:00 PM the next day. After drying is complete Arrange and tie with string Bag
Approximately 11 kg per bag Seal the bag and proceed to weighing. Load onto the truck To the company warehouse Ikekiko has a certain amount of stockpiled materials
. Dyeing work at a dyeing workshop in Oki Town Dyeing artisan
Shimokawa Sadako, 62 years old Staff
How many years have you been doing this job? About 40 years. That’s my mother. Staff
Is your mother working too? I’m 83 years old, but I’m working hard. The Shimokawa family
a family-run workshop with a 50-year history. The amount brought in from the rush weaving shop The requested amount
specify the color for each item. Divide it up like this. (Put it in the dyeing net)
It’s a simple process of dyeing with a dyeing machine. Start dyeing
Performing dyeing on the dyeing machine Add the cationic dye. Stir while adding water
Take about one hour. Slowly, slowly
Raising the temperature gradually from 60 to 100 degrees while dyeing. Cationic dye Staff
What color are you making this time? This is for brown. It is planned to be dark brown. Put it in the net
Put the rush grass into the machine and dye it. This machine has nine separate compartments
and can hold three pieces in one hole. Quickly load 24 pieces into the machine. 2 kilograms per dyeing net
Capable of dyeing 48 kilograms at once Loading complete The machine is heated with steam for about an hour
and the surrounding temperature rises to 40-50°C. Mr. Shimokawa moves to the back. Staff
Mr. Shimokawa, what is this for? This will be red, right? It’s an old model. Here, we only spin it to remove water.
This is the old method of dyeing and then dehydrating. Only one color remains. Staff)
Is that only for red? Everything else is automated, though.
this is the only thing Move the red rush grass. Discovered a large number of notes on the wall Staff
How is this managed? This is color-coded.
and the back is all dyed. Dark reddish brown,
There’s a person’s name written here, but… It looks like this. The person’s name and, in this case,
the mixture is about this much. Name of cationic dye mixture (This color is) called “Fujineko.” This is a request from Mr. Oriimoto. I understand Mr. Oriimoto’s expression in general. Each person uses their own words
and determine the color. Some people call this gray. or a grayish purple. Various other expressions Even if you say it’s written in the color book, That doesn’t work, does it? On the contrary, Some people compare it to vegetables. As long as we can communicate, that’s enough. One hour later, the temperature rises and steam begins to rise from the machine. Even approaching it, there is considerable heat. Draining Now draining, then spinning The machine will automatically proceed to spin cycle. After several tens of minutes Remove items that have finished drying. The moisture-containing rush grass
weighs more than three times its original weight before dyeing. A cart weighing nearly 100 kilograms
being moved by two people. Without a moment’s rest, they move on to dyeing the next batch of rushes. Add the blue cationic dye. Staff)
(When it’s finished) What color is it? This is beige. In the dyeing process, Mr. Shimokawa’s intuition plays a big role. His mother watches over the work. Preparing for the drying process Staff
(For the drying process) do you just lay them out in a single layer? Yes
While overlapping, right? Once the temperature drops,
the color doesn’t stick, does it? Just a slight drop in temperature It’s okay to stack them continuously from the top. Three people work together efficiently. Arrange them and place a rod on top Use the sticks to create space
and stack them on top of each other. Staff: What color is this? It is generally referred to as beige. It’s more like a light yellow color.
It looks like the lightest shade of orange. Mom rearranges them again. This color takes about 50 minutes to come up. Light colors will take on the color all at once. Gradually increase the temperature little by little. Continue until the color is even, approximately 1 hour (dyeing) This area (around the chest) is about right. It’s roughly around 300 kilograms. Then it’s nighttime again.
All the way until morning, right? It takes about 14 to 15 hours
gradually raising the temperature to dry it out. If you don’t gradually increase the temperature,
it will break, right? Once it dries, just give it to them. My wife and I will divide it into portions based on the weight. Brightly colored rush grass Red is pretty too, isn’t it? It’s beautiful, isn’t it? (Shimokawa)
This is a reddish-crimson color. Staff
Are there different shades of red? Yes, there are.
There’s quite a lot, isn’t there? A simple feel
A design that makes use of the texture of the grass material. Adding color
or creating illustrations. The most difficult part is deciding whether to create such products.
the most difficult part. You can see that there’s mud on it, right? That’s a characteristic of rush grass. I think it’s turning white. That means there’s mud from the reeds on it, right? The mud is also useful for dyeing. Dyes stick to mud, right? It doesn’t stick directly to the rush grass.
First, remove the mud. Dye on the mud slowly seeps into the rush grass
Dyeing If there were no mud, where should I stick it? the dye wondered. It’s going to stick to the outer net, isn’t it? It follows the rush grass from the net. The outer layer is colored, but the inner layer is difficult to color. Color unevenness issues arise
To resolve this, mud is proving to be very effective. Although it may seem troublesome, it can be useful in certain situations.
can be useful. Finished arranging them in the dryer. Turn on the dryer It’s white in winter, isn’t it?
It gets so white you can’t see anything around you. Staff
Does all the moisture evaporate? Yes, it becomes crispy.
By tomorrow morning. Staff
What time will we start working in the morning? Tomorrow will be around 8 or 9 in the morning. Raise it at 8 or 9 o’clock. Start dyeing around 10:00
and continued until the evening. Continue this process until evening
(dyeing and arranging work) Let it dry until morning
That’s the cycle. The next day
7:50 Retrieve the stick The family divides up the work among themselves. Work efficiently to get everything done The straw has dried out. Bundle them in groups of four. Grouping is mom’s job. Tie it up using your whole body. Finished summarizing
Summary complete Place on a large cart From here, it will be shipped to the weaver. 83 years old
We spoke with Ms. Takako Shimokawa. How is it working with your family? Sure! It’s faster if we all do it together. (The work) cannot be done by one person. We can do it because we’re all working together. There’s no other way but to work together harmoniously. Staff
Is there a secret to getting along well as a family? We have to get along well. I’m trying to get along with everyone. My son has children too, so I don’t want him to have a hard time. It’s difficult if I don’t help out to some extent.
I have to support the family business. You’re such a good son and a wonderful wife.
That’s great. My son takes me to various places to cheer me up. My wife told me, “There’s a step.” When I went to the bathroom, she prepared water for me. What a wonderful wife! The grandchild asks, “Grandma, are you okay?”
That kind thoughtfulness was very heartwarming. We’re producing only a limited number of Tatami Pillows.
Support us on Kickstarter before the deadline and be among the first to enjoy it! Same city
Shimazoe Workshop A long-established workshop run by a husband and wife team. This is the best one. Like this. Staff
How old is the president? He is 80 years old. May I ask your name? My name is Fumito Shimazoe. Take the rush grass out of the warehouse. Staff
How many colors are there in the warehouse? Well, there are dozens of colors. This is where This is how it will be from now on. Over there
From here to there, everything is that. This entire width is dyed with rush grass. Staff
Does this go bad? It doesn’t rot. It won’t rot for 10 or 20 years. If you leave it here, It will rot if exposed to rain and wind. This has been going on for about ten years now. If you leave it in the room, it’ll probably be fine.
about ten years or so. This rush grass is good stuff. Wet the rush grass. If you don’t do this, you won’t be able to put it on the loom. Soak the rushes in water to moisten them. Blue rush grass Soaking softens the material, making it easier to weave without breaking. Even moisture leads to a consistent pattern and fine weave. Soak the base in water to allow it to soak through
Gently tap it. Craftsmen adjust wetting based on heat, humidity, and instinct. Start work Look closely at the color. Check for unevenness
Check each one carefully with your eyes. Cut this To prevent uneven weaving, trim with a skew blade
trim evenly.
. White grass is inserted at the root to balance thickness and color. Insert into the loom Staff) How long does it take
to weave it in? It takes about 50 minutes to make one tatami mat.
takes about 50 minutes. If it’s the thick one,
it would take about an hour. Staff) What are you looking at while you work?
while you work? Take these (moss) one by one. This is a computer, so
No need to do anything. This one is normal, right? This kind of thing is like a needle.
stuck on a needle. When it’s stopped,
turn this. Extra grass will be added here. This needs to be removed. Use pliers to remove any excess grass. Then turn it. Staff
Are you reading it from the hole? Exactly
The tool for harvesting rush grass These two
This is the pattern. At the cylinder
There is a needle horizontally. The ones that come out and the ones that don’t
do this and run it. Jacquard loom The pattern is determined by the shape of the holes. Computer-controlled Read the floppy disk here. It’s an electronic manufacturing company, so
I don’t understand it either. Let me see the floppy disk. This is it. This is a floppy disk.
The one over there (different loom) is USB. Managed by floppy disk Staff) My father does the cutting
The machine does the weaving. Right There are tons of floppy disks. That whole box. There are tens of millions of them. Inside the box That’s how we used to do it back then.
Clean it up. The design is printed on the paper. Staff
How many years’ worth is there? (The floppy disk) is about 15 years old. It’s been about 30 or 40 years, hasn’t it? Work is progressing. The knitting is coming along nicely. One by one, they are woven together. By folding the rushes back and weaving them up
prevent it from unraveling. As it is woven
it is cut by the lower cutter. This pillow product This is good (igusa). Even if it’s a little expensive, it’s better to use a good one. Something that lasts longer.
It’s expensive, but it’s a good one. But
It’s better to make something good, right? Made from rush grass
Beautiful pattern Finishing work Scrape off this kind of thing. Pull out the unwanted weeds Follow along from the bottom and blend in
Align the edges How to tell them apart, right? This is the best one. Finish polishing with a dry loofah. This is the final step. Smoothing boosts shine and reveals defects more easily. The skill of instantly identifying unwanted weeds Staff
I don’t understand it at all. Staff
Where are you looking to cut? Shimazoe
There’s a different color in there. See, there are two in there. (Shimazoe)
The small one and the big one (Shimazoe)
I want to pull out this little thing. Staff
Is this the final step? Yes. Staff) How many years have you been working here? About 60 years, I suppose. I’ve been doing it since I was about 20. Staff) What do you find interesting about this job?
or feel glad you’re doing it? It’s definitely the market. The ups and downs of rush grass I’m buying in bulk, thinking prices might rise in a few years. Not talking about making money. Can you do the job or not? If you want to make money, you can make money. Staff
Is that so? Yes, that’s right. Just do the ones with the high unit price. That’s not what I’m saying. Make a good one. Make sure it’s profitable per item and sell it. You’re also reducing the amount of work, aren’t you? You don’t have to work so hard here (sales) either. That’s just right. If you try too hard,
you’ll break yourself. You have to do something stupid or something, don’t you?
I won’t be able to work until I’m 80, right? Staff
Is this the secret to good health? The secret to good health is to work. I’ll keep working as long as I can. This job is interesting. That’s the spot! If it’s just work, then you If you just do it with a machine,
it always works. How to buy and enjoy rush grass Finally, he showed us his beloved car. Lexus is great. It’s not moving.
It’s blurry. Staff) Are you driving?
Not working? It doesn’t work. He showed off his beloved car. This place was originally bare. Staff
Is that so? Oh, it’s made from debt.
Starting from nothing. I’m the only one doing it in my generation. I was 27 when I got married. Then she appeared here. 1975
We worked hard back then. (AM) 2:30 a.m. I turned it on at 5 AM. I only slept for about two hours. Staff
When you were around 30 years old? Yeah, that’s right. People in their 30s and 40s, you know? I was sleeping here. In winter, I wear a lot of clothes. My wife is still doing it. She told me to wake her up after about two hours.
Take turns. Working is still the best. Idle time is the worst. Inoue Shoten Co., Ltd. Product finishing work Igrass pillow Attach the hemp fabric Perform manually for each item Align without misalignment
Fold The mouth is starting to form. Thread processing Igrass pillow Traditional Japanese pattern Fill the middle material here Move to the work area for filling the pillow with filling material. Filling the pillow with stuffing All tasks are divided and performed manually. Filling with low-rebound urethane chips 1 2 times 3 times 4 times 5 times 6 times Tap to adjust While making sure the pillow filling doesn’t come out
close the opening of the pillow. Okay
I sewed it. The spacious workshop is filled with many workers. Ikehiko Exhibition Hall Low-rebound pillow
A traditional Japanese pattern passed down through generations. Komon patterns are also very popular overseas. The moderate elasticity makes it comfortable to use and highly practical. The scent of rush grass is pleasant and has a relaxing effect. The Japanese-style design blends well with any room. The feel of the rush grass is smooth and comfortable. Enrich your life with traditional Japanese crafts
Purchase via the link!

【取材先】
会社名：株式会社イケヒコ・コーポレーション
住所：〒830-0424 福岡県三潴郡大木町三八松１０５２
連絡先：0944321203
ホームページ：https://ikehiko.net/

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