Sasano Ittobori and Otaka Poppo | Wood carving techniques and local toys born in Yonezawa [Yonezawa City, Yamagata Prefecture]

What is Sasano Ittobori?

SasanoIttobori is a wood carving technique that has been traditionally passed down among farmers in the Sasano district of Yonezawa City, Yamagata Prefecture. According to local tradition, it is said to have been passed down for over 1,000 years since the foundingthe Sasano Kannon-do(Sasano Honmachi, Yonezawa City), which is said to have been founded in 806 (Daido 1), as a technique for creating fire-prevention amulets and lucky charms.

In the mid-Edo period, Sasano wood carving was encouraged by Uesugi Yozan , the 9th lord of the Yonezawa domain, as a "winter side job for farmers."

"Otaka Poppo," it seems that originally they were more commonly used to create carved flower decorations for Buddhist altars.

By carving logs of the Koshiabura tree with a cutting tool called a sarukiri and then painting them, a variety of wooden toys are created, including not only hawks and flowers, but also chickens, Ebisu and Daikoku, Somin Shorai, rabbits pounding mochi, turtles, owls, and long-tailed birds

Sasano Ittobori wood carving toy "Otaka Poppo"

Originally, there was no "fixed form" for Sasano Ittobori carvings, as each craftsman created them independently

With the establishment of the Sasano Carving Cooperative in 1971, certain "basic forms" were defined, and the current"Otaka Poppo"style was established.

The origin of this toy is said to be the aforementioned Uesugi Yozan . In the mid-Edo period, when Sasano carving was encouraged as a winter side job for farmers, the hawk, which is similar to Yozan's name , was chosen as a subject for carving, and since then it has spread as a "toy to ward off evil."

The "Otaka Poppo" in the image above is the most standard type, but there are many variations, including those with red feathers, different facial expressions, and those carved from different materials such as the Japanese pagoda tree (Enju)

"Poppo" means "toy" in the Ainu language

that "poppo"the Ainu language. So, "otaka poppo" means "hawk toy," but why it has Ainu origins remains a mystery.

While there are theories that identify the ancient people of Tohoku (Emishi) with the Ainu, DNA research is increasingly refuting this, and the truth remains unknown. However, the presence of place names throughout Tohoku that can clearly be interpreted as Ainu suggests that some form of interaction occurred

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A reproduction of "Kodai Poppo," a wooden toy carved from a single piece of wood approximately 200 years ago

The adorable "Ancient Poppo," with its long body shape and charming round eyes , was born at the Yamagata Biennale , a contemporary art festival held in 2018 and organized by Tohoku University of Art and Design . It was inspired by the fact that contemporary craftsmen recreated and exhibited an Otaka Poppo, a long-bodied doll with the original design, that was made about 200 years ago.

The gray one is the male and the red one is the female, and they have been reproduced as a pair

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summary

At the Sasano Folk Art Museum, operated by the Sasano Carving Cooperative in the Sasano district of Yonezawa City, you can see a variety of Sasano wood carvings, including Otaka Poppo and Kodai Poppo.

You can try painting your own hawk-shaped doll, and depending on the timing, you might even be able to watch the dolls being made, making it a recommended tourist spot when sightseeing in Yonezawa

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