Oritori Ishigaki City Official Tourism Information Site
The Yaeyama Islands have a history of using plants native to the islands to handcraft tools used in daily life. These tools are called "mingu," and their production process carries on the wisdom and traditional craftsmanship of their ancestors.
Nowadays, they are attracting attention as an environmentally friendly product that returns to nature, and the number of young folk implement makers is gradually increasing.
This time we visited Mr. and Mrs. Nakagiri, who run Mingu Nakagiri, an atelier located in the northern part of Ishigaki Island.
The Nakagiri couple were fascinated by folk tools and moved to Ishigaki Island with their family, where they began making folk tools while learning production techniques from the islanders.
Nakagiri Miyuki first came into contact with folk crafting around eight years ago, when she was pregnant with her first daughter. She learned how to make it from the islanders and created a shell ginger basket for her baby to sleep in.
Junichi says he was drawn to the stories behind the folk tools told by the islanders and the old tales about tools he heard from the elderly people living nearby. He says he senses the pride of the craftsmen who have passed on the techniques of their predecessors.
"Folk tools are woven from grasses, so they will decompose naturally over time. As a result, old things do not remain. If the makers of an item disappear, the tools and techniques will also disappear. We realize the importance of passing on traditional techniques and continuing to make these items," say the Nakagiri couple.
Shell ginger
The leaves of the shell ginger plant are used to make a health tea, as an insect repellent and deodorizer due to their insect repellent and antibacterial properties, and as a calming air freshener due to their refreshing scent.
Pandanus
Pandanus, a member of the Pandanus family, grows near coasts in subtropical and tropical regions, forming very dense colonies that make it useful as a coastal break, windbreak, and erosion control forest, and is also cultivated in gardens for decorative purposes.
Kuba
The palm tree, Livistona kuba (fan palm), is a plant of the palm family that grows from Kyushu as far north as Taiwan and southern China, with its primary habitat being the Ryukyu Islands. Its leaves are used as building materials for roofs and walls. They are also used to make a variety of items, including ladles, buckets, and straw raincoats and hats.
The products made by Mingu Nakagiri are traditional folk tools with a touch of ease of use added to make them more suited to modern life.The designs are not ones that overwrite the techniques passed down from our ancestors, but rather retain the good qualities of traditional folk tools and can be used seamlessly in modern life.
"In addition to researching and producing traditional Yaeyama folk tools, I would like to propose new folk tools that fit into modern life and that add color to lifestyles. I also want to continue helping to connect the grass weaving culture to the future."
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Junichi Nakagiri
Miyuki Nakagiri
The couple moved to Ishigaki Island with their family and now make folk tools using the rich materials available in the north.
We offer traditional Yaeyama folk tools as well as easy-to-use folk tools that fit into modern life.
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