[Iwate Prefecture] Jomon Flame Fujisawa Wildfire Festival 2022 will be held! Would you like to make your own original Jomon pottery?

The "Fujisawa Noyaki Festival" in Fujisawa-cho, Ichinoseki City, Iwate Prefecture, which was canceled for two consecutive years due to the new coronavirus pandemic, will be held for the first time in three years on August 13th (Saturday) and 14th (Sunday), 2022. It has been decided that

This festival, also known as the ``Festival of Earth and Fire,'' is a fire festival that recreates the burning of pottery from the old Jomon period, and reminds you of the romance of the Jomon period as you watch the flames scorch the night sky.

What is Fujisawa Noyaki Festival? Its history and events

Mr. Hanjuro Shiono, a farmer archaeologist and potter, proposed the reproduction of open burning of Jomon pottery, and Fujisawa Town (now Ichinoseki City), which was suffering from depopulation, cooperated as a town in 1976. It has been held every year during the Obon period since 2010.

On the first day, a ``fire ceremony'' is held from 6:00 p.m., where pottery is fired in 11 holes dug 8m in length and 4m in width, and the fired pottery is judged the next day.

There will be many stalls at the venue, and the following events will be held.

Burning ceremony

Local junior high school students dress up as Jomon people and start a fire from the frictional heat generated by spinning wooden sticks on a board.

The method is called the ``Maigiri style,'' and this fire-making event is also one of the highlights of the festival.

Judging works

The field-fired pottery is taken out of the kiln on the morning of the second day and judged by eight judges.

The best work will be awarded the Shiono Hanjuro Award (prize of 100,000 yen, a certificate, and a shield as an additional prize), and there are many other awards as well.

The winning works will be exhibited in Fujisawa Town for one year.

Fujisawa Noyaki Festival Photo Contest

It has been held since 2008, and each person can submit up to 5 photos, including smartphone photos.This year's application period is from August 19th (Monday) to September 20th (Friday), and will be announced around October. Masu.

The special selection will receive a special product from Fujisawa Town (worth 8,000 yen), the semi-special selection will receive a special product worth 6,000 yen, and the winner will receive a special product worth 3,000 yen.

“Netsuto Koshien” is a festival for high school potters.

Entries can be made by schools, local groups, or individuals, and the winners will receive a QUO card worth 30,000 yen and a certificate.

The top 8 will also receive QUO cards and certificates, so why not try your hand at making Jomon pottery?

Jomon pottery created by the flames of wildfires

Jomon pottery is unglazed pottery with a distinctive rope pattern that has been used in Japan since before the Jomon period, 16,500 years ago.

They come in a variety of shapes, and are said to have been used for cooking and storing nuts, as well as for water pails and coffins.

How is Jomon pottery made?

This is earthenware from an era when there was no spinning wheel, so to make pottery points, clay was made into thick strings and layered in circles.

Once you have made as many thick strings of clay as you need, wrap them in a damp towel to prevent them from becoming stiff, and then layer them in circles.

The key is to treat the joints by using clay called ``Tsuchibei'' dissolved in water as an adhesive, making small scratches at the joints, and allowing the ``Tsuchibei'' to soak in like glue.

Also, the joints of the clay strings are staggered from step to step.

As you stack the clay, tap the outside with a board from time to time to tighten the clay and make it harder to break.

Once the shape is done, let it dry.

At first, dry it slowly in the shade, and once the surface turns white, dry it in the sun for about two weeks.

To prevent cracking during open burning, it is important to allow the wood to dry naturally.

Leave the baking to the weather.

Since the work is fired in the open, the finish will vary depending on the condition of the work, the weather and humidity of the day, as well as the power of the fire.

I'm looking forward to seeing how my work is completed.

What should I do to exhibit at the Fujisawa Noyaki Festival?

First, we will purchase clay for pottery prepared by Fujisawa Town.

Please download the "Clay Application Form" from the Noyaki Festival website and apply by fax or by phone.

Clay is sold in units of 10kg each, and the price is the participation fee. Prices are as shown in the table below.

  • Residents of Ichinoseki City: Children/students/students 800 yen/10kg, general 1,000 yen/10kg
  • Residents outside Ichinoseki City: Children/students/students 1,000 yen/10kg, general 1,500 yen/10/kg

In principle, the clay will be delivered to the office, but it is also possible to pay by courier.

Actually, the clay sale ends on Friday, July 22nd, but there are so few participants that there is quite a bit left over.

Why not contact the Fujisawa Noyaki Festival Executive Committee to see if you can purchase it now and try your hand at making Jomon pottery?

Works will be delivered on the day of the festival

Works will be delivered between 13:00 and 15:00 on the first day of the festival, August 13th (Saturday) (please be on time!).

Then, between 15:00 and 17:00, they are placed in the designated kiln according to the instructions of the staff, and the following day, the 14th (Sunday), they are taken out of the kiln between 7:30 and 8:30, and transported to the examination area. Masu.

Information

  • Name: Fujisawa Noyaki Festival
  • Venue: 41 Fujisawa Jingo, Fujisawa-cho, Ichinoseki City, Iwate Prefecture 029-3405 (Fujisawa Sports Square)
  • Contact: Fujisawa Noyaki Festival Executive Committee
  • Phone number: 0191-63-5317
  • FAX number: 0191-63-5133
  • Official URL: https://noyaki.net/

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summary

The number of participants in the Fujisawa Noyaki Festival, which will be held for the first time in three years, is low, and the executive committee is in trouble due to a lack of budget.

The other day, it was reported on TV news that there was a pile of leftover clay behind the Fujisawa Branch. If you are interested, why not consider participating in Jomon pottery production or crowdfunding?

Crowdfunding recruitment page: We want to make the “Fujisawa Noyaki Festival”, which even touched Taro Okamoto, a festival that will last for 100 years

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