The famous Tsumami-zaiku artists will talk about their thoughts about Tsumami-zaiku.
The Seventh artist is Ms. Mayumi Kawamoto, who lives in Spain making and selling Tsumami-zaiku to European countries.
Profile
2016 Came across her daughter Shichigosan (Japanese traditional ceremony for Children) and started making Tsumami-zaiku.
2018 Opened shop in Spain.
2019 Started online shop
2020 Started promotion for Tsumami-zaiku in Spain and Europe.
Q1. How did you start working on Tsumami-zaiku? (Or did you get involved?)
I liked handcrafts and used to make children’s cloth toys with clothes. Getting out of Japan and living in Spain, I realized the beauty of traditional Japanese crafts and wanted to learn about traditional Japanese crafts.
I came across Tsumami-zaiku at my daughter`s “Shichigosan” (Japanese traditional ceremony for Children). I wanted to make her Tsumami kanzashi since the ceremony is once in a lifetime and started learning Tsumami-zaiku by taking a correspondence course.
Q2. What are your commitments to your work and what do you care about?
Through Tsumami-zaiku, I want to express the beauty of four seasons in Japan to let people in Spain and other countries to recognize its beauty.
By making Tsumami-zaiku accessories, I want people outside of Japan to feel closer to Tsumami-zaiku.
Q3. What is the attractiveness of Tsumami-zaiku for you?
Through making Tsumami-zaiku, I can express the beauty of Japan infinitely and also feel changes of the four seasons in Japan.
By folding clothes one by one and putting the heart into making this craft, you can feel the warmth from the work. I think that it is the traditional craft filled with feelings that can pass on the warmth to future generations.
Q4. What do you think about the future possibilities of Tsumami-zaiku?
Tsumami-zaiku is a Japanese culture that is still little known in Spain and Europe.
Through overseas production activities, many people will learn about this beautiful Japanese traditional craft, and I hope that we will be able to do activities that will become a major culture outside Japan.
My goal is to create opportunities to experience Tsumami-zaiku at local elementary schools and nursing homes and to create opportunities where people can feel the joy of making things with their own hands.
Q5. What do you want to make in the future?
I would like to keep on studying while referring to the works of master artists and concentrate on making traditional Tsumami-zaiku. In addition, I would like to create Tsumami-zaiku with arrangements that can be used at weddings, baptisms, parties, etc. in Europe. I would also like to create seasonal framed and interior items that will make people overseas feel closer to Japanese culture and Tsumami-zaiku.
