Inami Woodcarving Center

Posted on May 25, 2007 by Adam R.

Setting off from Tonami City in Toyama prefecture, I am getting taken to Inami to check out some woodcarving place that I am told is really famous. My Father in-law has two mates that are master craftsmen there so we are going to get the behind the scenes tour as well. Arriving in the carpark the place is a lot bigger than I expected and has an out door area with huge carvings, which we check out first.

To my surprise being along way from New Zealand, there is a huge Maori Tiki in the ground. Maori are the original inhabitants of New Zealand, who are of Islander decent just for your reference. After a walk around outside we get walked inside for free and are taken to an area just inside the entrance that opens out to a courtyard. Here are the shops of several of the master craftsmen offering their goods in which each has a specialty, some specialize in statues while other specialize in masks, combs, butsudan and ranma.

Butsudan are the Buddhist Shrines you can find in most Japanese homes. Ranma are the transom, which is situated above a support beam under which shoji screens are placed. Some of the products at a guess must take months, closer to a year to complete, as they are so incredibly intricate. Most products are carved out of one solid piece of wood and due to the intense labor run into five figure sums to purchase.

Next we are inside which honestly words cannot describe, the interior must have taken hundreds of thousands of hours by countless craftsmen to complete. The halls are lined with carved pillars and ranma stretch forever throughout the whole complex. One thing that you will never forget is the smell of the freshly carved artworks being produced in front of visitors. Several craftsmen work inside the main tourists halls so you can get a glimpse of their craftwork in the making.

Like a lot of traditional crafts in Japan, the Inami woodcarvers hand their skills down through the generations and several families at the center have a long history in the Inami Area. I purchased a “Hontsuge” comb which I am told will outlast my lifetime if cared for properly. Hontsuge is Japanese Boxwood and many traditional combs are made out this, including ones worn by current and past GeishaTraditional female entertainers. Trained in such arts as singing, dancing, and playing Japanese traditional musical instruments. . Inami is out of the way but worth a visit if you appreciate traditional Japanese craft.

In English the correct pronounciation of the Japanese name for the centre is:

Inami Chokoku Dentou Sangyo Kaikan

Inami Woodcarving Centre Website