Gifu Umbrellas
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, or Gifu Japanese umbrellas, are a special product of the city of
Gifu is a Cities of Japan, city located in the south-central portion of Gifu Prefecture, Japan, and serves as the prefectural capital. The city has played an important role in Japan's history because of its location in the middle of the country. Durin ...
in
Gifu Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region of Honshu. Gifu Prefecture has a population of 1,910,511 () and has a geographic area of . Gifu Prefecture borders Toyama Prefecture to the north; Ishikawa Prefecture ...
, Japan. They have been labeled as one of Gifu's traditional crafts.


History

In 1639, the
Matsudaira clan The was a Japanese samurai clan that descended from the Minamoto clan. It originated in and took its name from Matsudaira village, in Mikawa Province (modern-day Aichi Prefecture). During the Sengoku period, the chieftain of the main line of the ...
became rulers of the
Kanō Domain file:加納城石垣.JPG, 270px, Remnants of the walls of Kanō Castle was a ''fudai daimyō, fudai'' Han (Japan), feudal domain of Edo period Japan. The domain was centered at Kanō Castle, located in what is now part of the city of Gifu, Gifu, ...
and brought with them umbrella artisans from their former home in the
Akashi Domain was a Han (Japan), feudal domain under the Tokugawa shogunate of Edo period Japan, located in Harima Province in what is now the southern portion of modern-day Hyōgo Prefecture. It was centered around Akashi Castle, which is located in what i ...
(modern-day
Hyōgo Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Kansai region of Honshu. Hyōgo Prefecture has a population of 5,469,762 () and a geographic area of . Hyōgo Prefecture borders Kyoto Prefecture to the east, Osaka Prefecture to th ...
). By 1756, the umbrellas became more fully developed and the modern shapes and designs first appeared. During the end of the
Edo period The , also known as the , is the period between 1600 or 1603 and 1868 in the history of Japan, when the country was under the rule of the Tokugawa shogunate and some 300 regional ''daimyo'', or feudal lords. Emerging from the chaos of the Sengok ...
, approximately 520,000 umbrellas were shipped north to
Edo Edo (), also romanized as Jedo, Yedo or Yeddo, is the former name of Tokyo. Edo, formerly a (castle town) centered on Edo Castle located in Musashi Province, became the '' de facto'' capital of Japan from 1603 as the seat of the Tokugawa shogu ...
each year. By the beginning of the
Meiji period The was an era of Japanese history that extended from October 23, 1868, to July 30, 1912. The Meiji era was the first half of the Empire of Japan, when the Japanese people moved from being an isolated feudal society at risk of colonizatio ...
, production increased to 12 million umbrellas each year and international sales first began on a widescale. Production continued to increase until its peak during the
Shōwa period Shōwa most commonly refers to: * Hirohito (1901–1989), the 124th Emperor of Japan, known posthumously as Emperor Shōwa ** Shōwa era (昭和), the era of Hirohito from 1926 to 1989 * Showa Corporation, a Japanese suspension and shock manufactu ...
, which 15 million umbrellas being produced each year, but modern production has dropped to just tens of thousands of umbrellas.


Features

Gifu Umbrellas are made using
Mino washi is a type of Japanese paper created in Gifu Prefecture, Japan. Washi is made from the paper mulberry which is a plant that grows in the city of Mino. In 1985, it was designated a Traditional Craft by the Ministry of International Trade and Ind ...
, a strong local paper. A number of natural materials are used in the production process and there are a limited number of people who have the skills to make the umbrellas. Among traditional crafts in Japan, Gifu Umbrellas are particularly difficult to make with over 100 steps involved from start to finish. Because of all the skills required to make the umbrellas, it would be difficult for one person to make an umbrella through each step.Gifu Uchiwa no Page
. Gifu Prefecture. Accessed May 1, 2008.
Gifu Umbrella ac (1).jpg Gifu Umbrella ac (2).jpg Gifu Umbrella ac (3).jpg Gifu Umbrella ac (4).jpg Gifu wagasa media cosmos.jpg


See also

*
Mino washi is a type of Japanese paper created in Gifu Prefecture, Japan. Washi is made from the paper mulberry which is a plant that grows in the city of Mino. In 1985, it was designated a Traditional Craft by the Ministry of International Trade and Ind ...
* Gifu lanterns * Gifu fans
Traditional Japanese Umbrellas
(Fujisawa Shoten Co., Ltd. homepage)


References

{{Reflist Culture in Gifu Prefecture Umbrellas