Wooden Carved Shoe Horn
アイヌ文様 木彫りの靴ベラ
A wooden shoe horn featuring carvings rooted in Ainu heritage, produced by artisans in Nibutani, Hokkaido.
This wooden shoe horn is produced at the Biratori Ainu Crafts and Heritage Center, also known as Urespa (ウレㇱパ, the Ainu word for ‘each other’). The centre opened in Nibutani, Hokkaido, in April 2019 to promote Ainu heritage crafts to visitors from both Japan and overseas.
From time to time, visitors to Urespa can watch leading artisans producing their intricate works and training young apprentices. The facility offers state-of-the-art equipment, including laser processing and UV printing. To share Ainu culture with visitors, the centre also offers a range of Ainu craft items, including nibutani-ita (an intricately carved wooden tray) as well as newly developed products.
Individual pieces vary in colour and size as each piece is handmade.
Size: Length 10cm x Width 3.2cm x Depth 0.8cm
Kansai
The Kansai region includes the second-most populated metropolitan area in Japan with its largest city Osaka. Kyoto and Nara, two of Japan’s former capital cities, are home to important temples and shrines and strongholds of intangible cultural heritage, such as the Kyoto textile weaving skills of Nishijin.
