Last Sunday I painted my first Hariko (Japanese papier-mâché) at Bibariko‘s workshop at Nishiogi-Itochi (Tea and Kokeshi) cafe! Above is what I came up with in the one-hour workshop. It’s really a test of your creativity to come up with a smart, cute, quick, hariko-like design when all you can see is just a blank white blob of paper mache.
We were given four different shapes to choose from. I chose the ‘dog with a ball on its head’ hariko. We were shown many variations made by previous workshop participants and they were all very creative. One even managed to convert the ball on top to a human head by painting a face on it.
I was inspired to make something different, and this was what I came up with. A clown like dog with a fancy hat on its head. Ha! Below is a picture of how everyone’s works turned out. Cute!!!
The fruits of our labor.
During this three-day Kyodo Gangu(郷土玩具) Japanese folk art event, the 2nd floor of the cafe showcased works by Yonagadou and Ohm-sha. It was such a pleasure meeting the amazing minds behind both companies. We had such lovely conversations and I learned so much about Japanese folk art from them. Below are some pictures of Yonagado’s space.
Ohm-sha showcased their private Japanese craft collection along with their original miniature wood figurines.
Ohm sha’s cute wooden figurines!
It must be one of the best exhibitions I’ve been too. My love for traditional Japanese folk art & craft just got more serious!