There was a village of woodturners
in mountainous area in central Japan (Niigata pref.). Their lifestyle was
unique, because they relocated from a mountain to the other mountain where
Japanese horse chestnut trees were; they made bowls from the trees.
In the Edo period (1603～1868), the local government
(Takada-han)
made them settle down in a mountain. Although all villagers left there
until now, the house with workshop was moved and renovated as the museum
below.
木地師はロクロを使って椀などを作る人たち。トチの木を求めて山中を移動したといわれています。
新潟県糸魚川市の山中には、高田藩の政策によって定住した木地師の集落がありました。集落の人びとは町へ降りて今は住む人がいませんが、かつての製造所兼家屋を移設・改装した資料館があります。
The village is located at a high altitude. The bottom of the valley is seen in the white dot circle.
木地師の里へ向かう道は、姫川が流れる谷（楕円内）から高度を上げていきます。谷の向こうの山は、多分雨飾山。
It was the last village to go to Mt. Hakuba; only the inn of Renge hot spring is beyond the village.
白馬連峰へ向かう最後の集落が木地屋集落（糸魚川市大所）。白馬岳との間に蓮華温泉があります。
The painting below shows the village in around 1960. It says that the shrine was merged to the Buddhist hall later.
The woodturners lived in several places in the region, and settled down here in 1831. The name of the village was “Kijiya (woodturners) “. After settling down, they built wooden houses, however, they had lived in poorly built ones while migrating. The photo at lower left was a model of a woodturners’ hut in Fukushima Museum (<link, visited in 2020).
昭和30年代の集落のイメージ図。後にお宮はお堂へ統合されたそうです。
ここ（大所）の木地屋は、飛騨→大所→青鬼（白馬村）→笹ヶ峰（妙高高原）などを移住し、1831年に大所に定住しました。集落の名前は「木地屋」。定着後は木造の家を建てましたが、移住していた頃は簡素の家でした（左下は福島県立博物館（＜リンク）に展示されている木地師の住まい/2020年訪問）。
In the irori fireplace room beside the entrance, the first step for making bowls is exhibited. They cut down a three and cut out a piece for a bowl. Then, they brought only the wood pieces to their village, because lumbers were heavy. The turning lathe which was the crucial tool for them, is displayed.
玄関の横には囲炉裏部屋があり、木地屋の仕事の第一歩「カタオコシ」が紹介されています。木地屋はお椀の原料にトチの木を使いましたが、伐採現場でお椀一個の大きさにしてから持ち帰りました。重いですものね。床には、木地屋の必須道具・ロクロが置かれています。
Baskets are on the shelf. Wooden pieces were dried there.
囲炉裏部屋にある棚には籠がのっています。切り出して粗挽きした材料を乾燥させ、歪みをとる乾燥場でもありましした。
A wife spined a turning lathe and her husband carved wood long time ago. Planners (blades) are displayed at lower right. They sometimes resmithing the blades; they had a technique same as a blacksmith.
かつてはロクロを手回し。夫婦での大変な作業でした。右下は椀を削ったカンナです。刃先がすり減るたびに打ち直しをするので、木地師は鍛冶屋の技術ももっていました。
In 1919, water wheel jumped up the productivity. Three craftsmen simultaneously worked in a water mill. They couldn't have utilized a water-wheel while they frequently had migrated.
1919（大正８）年、水車が導入され製造効率は劇的に向上。あらかじめ材料の形を整える工程がなくなり、共同のロクロ小屋で３人同時にロクロをまわすようになりました。移住時代は持ち運べない水車は使えなかったのでしょうね。
Rotation axis of turning lathe was the most important part. They brought axes while migrating, but wooden bases were made at the next site because those were heavy. If a shaft was out of true, they couldn’t make a bowl. The axes are designated as national important properties.
ロクロ軸は木地屋の命。移住するときは軸を持ち運び、重い台は移住先で作りました。軸の芯が出ていないと仕事になりません。国指定重要民俗文化財です。
The workshop on the 2nd floor. They smoothed surface of bowls after carving. They used a manual turning lathe while polishing. Each room exhibits tools of the process which was done in the room; we can imagine their works easily.
２階の仕事部屋。ロクロで挽いた椀の表面を平滑にしました。磨きには手動のロクロを使いました。各工程が行われた部屋で道具が展示されていて作業のイメージできます。
Polishing tools and materials. As abrasive material, tokusa plant (horsetail), which has siliceous surface, were attached on wooden spatula. Skin of sharks were sticked on the five spatulas on the right; they got the skins somehow.
The woodturners didn’t paint bowls, however, they acquired painting skill and put lacquer finish on bowls. They added value to their products.
磨くための工具。珪酸質を含み硬いトクサ（木賊）をヘラ状にして使いました。右側の５個は鮫皮を貼ったサメベラと鮫の皮。海の物も何とかして手に入れたのですね。
通常の木地師の仕事は白木の椀を作るまでで、塗るのは町の塗師屋の仕事でしたが、この集落では、富山県・魚津の塗師に学び、塗りにも取り組んでいきました。製品の付加価値向上です。
I went down to the 1st floor once, then went up to the 2nd floor, which was a painting workshop. There is a sliding floor at the end of the ladder; it shut down dusts which reduced quality. They worked in a closed room.
１階へ降りてから、２階へ上がります。２階は上塗り、蒔絵の作業室。埃を嫌うので階段の先にはスライドできる床があります。締め切った部屋での作業です。
Two drying racks are on the 2nd floor, in which lacquered bowls were dried. Craftsmen turned bowels 2 times an hour to prevent surface lacquer from dripping. On the other hand, bowls were automatically turned by a spring-driven machine in the rack on the left. They were good at making machines from woods (drying rack, water-wheel and turning lathe).
部屋には漆を塗った後の乾燥棚が２基。右は置くだけの棚で、１時間に２回ほど椀を反転させ、漆が垂れるのを防ぎました。左はゼンマイ仕掛けで椀が定期的に自動で回転するようにしたもの。ロクロも水車も乾燥器も、木で器用に作りますねえ。
A part of the spring-driven machine sticks out on the 3rd floor (attic), where utensils are exhibited.
乾燥器の椀物を動かすゼンマイの錘は、民具が展示されている３階に頭を出しています。
In the tatami room (zashiki) on the 1st floor, products and old documents are displayed; the exhibits are well worth seeing.
１階の座敷では、漆器の製品や木地屋に関する古文書が展示されています。見応えがありますよ。
Woodturners belonged to the nationwide organization from the shrine. Two shrines in Kansai region controlled the craftsmen. Each shrine dispatched an agent to woodturner villages across Japan. They delivered certificates and collected fees.
木地師は「座」のような形態の全国組織。滋賀県東近江市の神社２社が競いながら全国の木地師を支配しました。神社から、何年かに一度、巡国人が全国の木地師集落を訪ね、上納金を集めるとともに、各種の巻物を与えたのです。
The certificates says that it was permitted to cut trees across Japan. The one at upper left was issued by Prince Koretaka, the one at upper right was done by Toyotomi Hideyoshi (warlord) and the one at lower right was done by Oda Nobunaga (warlord). Woodcutters brought it and worked across Japan.
However, they got permission from a head of a local village; they were approved to cut trees in a limited area such as higher than 500 meters. Chrysanthemum crest (lower left) was used by families and organizations related to the royal family. All items are designated as important folklore properties.
巻物は、権力者が木地師に全国各地の木の伐採を許したとするもので、木地師たちはこれを持って各地で仕事をしました。ただし、文書を持っていても勝手にお目当てのトチの木を切れたわけではなく、地元と交渉し、○○より高い場所などと伐採範囲を決めたそうです。
権力者としては惟喬親王（左上に文書）が有名ですが、その他に、織田信長（右下）、豊臣秀吉（右上）の文書もあり、菊の御紋の往来手形（左下、木製）も発行されました。筒井公文所は近江・筒井神社の事務担当部署。写真の品はすべて国指定重要民俗文化財です。
In 1900, a painter went to Aizu (famous lacquerware production center in Fukushima pref.) and acquired the decorating technique of lacquerware “Maki-e”. A book about Maki-e examples and so on are shown.
The painter was the grandfather of the museum director (1876-1947, his portrait is on the wall in behind). He lived in the museum building at present and worked. I was amazed.
Lacquer was not imported from China during WW2; on top of that, plastic bowls took over lacquered ones after WW2. Their business (woodturner) sadly ended.
1900（明治33）年、塗師が会津に赴き、蒔絵の技術を身につけました。蒔絵手本などが展示されています。赴いたのは館長の祖父・小椋立治氏（1876-1947）。この建物に住んで、仕事していた方です。左は漆器販売宣伝用のポスター。
戦中は中国から漆が入らず、戦後はプラスチック製品がでてきて、木地師の業は途絶えました。
Happily enough, the museum director (Dr. Hiroki Ogura) showed me around the museum. Although he didn’t live in the house, he visited his grandfather who lived there. He issued the books about woodturners.
館長（小椋裕樹氏）に案内をしていただき、見応えがありました。館長はこの家には住んだことはありませんが、祖父を訪ねて来ていたそうです。日本常民文化研究所で学位を取得され、その成果を『手引ろくろの文化史 : その技術と木地屋の系譜』として出版されています。
In the following article (part 2), I will
show you photos of villagers. Everyone seemed to be happy.
Part2では、集落で暮らした人々の写真をアップしています。みなさん、いい顔をしていますよ。
Visited in Aug, 2025
Official website: https://kijiyanosato.sakura.ne.jp/
(in Japanese), accessed in July, 2026
Previous post (museum in the same prefecture): Salt road museum、塩の道資料館（糸魚川市）
Next post (part
2 of this article): Folklore museum of woodturner (2/2)、木地屋民俗資料館（part2）(Coming soon)
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