Fude no Sato Kobo

Little knownBarely documented in English. This is the kind of place the site exists for.

Researched and written by Hinato

Kumano brushesfudecalligraphymakeup brushescraft museum

Photo: Shinta / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0) · original

Watching the process at Fude no Sato Kobo changes what the finished piece looks like on a shelf back home.

Kumano makes about eighty per cent of Japan's brushes. It started in the nineteenth century when farmers here, unable to live off the land alone, took to selling brushes and ink on trading trips and then to making them, and today the town's makeup brushes are sold to cosmetics houses worldwide — the Japan women's football team was given a set after winning the World Cup.

The Brush Village Workshop is the town's museum and holds what is claimed as the world's largest brush, plus a collection covering calligraphy, painting and cosmetics brushes and the hand processes behind them. Craftsmen demonstrate on site. There is a hands-on area, and a brush-making session costs ¥3,500 on top of admission. Admission is ¥800 for adults and ¥250 for school students, and it closes on Mondays.

Before you visit the workshop

Workshop hours

9:30 AM – 5:00 PM | Last entry 4:30 PM

Closed: Closed Mondays, or the following day when the Monday is a public holiday | Closed over the New Year

Cost

¥800 adults | ¥250 elementary, junior high and high school students | Brush-making ¥3,500 plus admission

Best time to visit

Year-round

Time to allow

90 minutes

Access route

Getting there in detail

Nakamizo 5-17-1, Kumano, Aki District. By car, or by bus from JR Hiroshima Station or Kaitaichi Station. Closed Mondays, or the following day when the Monday is a public holiday, and over the New Year. Admission ¥800 for adults and ¥250 for elementary, junior high and high school students; group rates of ¥600 and ¥200 for 20 or more. A brush-making session costs ¥3,500 in addition to admission and requires booking two weeks ahead for groups of 7 or more.

Beyond the guidebook

**Eighty per cent of Japan's brushes come from this town.** Calligraphy, painting and makeup. That statistic is the reason the museum exists and it is not an exaggeration. **The makeup brushes are the modern industry.** Kumano brushes are sold under luxury cosmetics labels worldwide, and the shop here sells them at source. **Book the brush-making if you want it.** ¥3,500 on top of admission, and groups of seven or more need two weeks' notice. **Watch the craftsmen.** Selecting and aligning the hair by hand is the part of the process that machines have not replaced, and it is demonstrated on site. **Closed Mondays.** With the usual holiday shift. The town itself has brush shops that keep their own hours.

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