Ohata drawing Shoki, Plague-Queller, on large joint piece of cotton banner (in Ichikai-cho, Tochigi Prefecture)
Tetsuya Onda
The entire wall is covered by Samurai warriors who vibrantly stare at you. Don’t worry. This is pretty much the norm for Musha-e-no-Sato studio at this time of the year and the warriors are printed on Musha-e Nobori, which are Japanese banners with paintings of armed Samurai worriers or Shoki (a traditional Chinese deity said to prevent plagues and ward off evil beings).
Musha-e-no-Sato literally means “home to worrier prints.” The shop in Ichikai-cho, Tochigi Prefecture, is specialized in Musha-e artworks and runs through generations to generations from the Meiji Era. With the Boy’s Day several weeks away, its third generation owner and artisan of the studio, Koun Ohata, 67, is working hard day and night to produce the Nobori banners as the decoration of the Tango-no-sekku on May 5.
Main motifs he draws are Hideyoshi Toyotomi, Yoshitsune Minamoto and Kiyomasa Kato, who are all Samurai worriers known for their overwhelming strength. Ohata is particular about expressing not only the boldness but also generosity of the great Samurai.
Made of cotton clothes of 88-centimeter wide and 7-meter long, the banners are usually for outside use. The artisan draws a rough design first and adds colors using pigments later. Then the banners are sold at Japanese traditional doll shops all over Japan, and also the Musha-e-no-Sato, at a pricing ranging from JPY50,000 to JPY100,000.
The banners appeals particularly to elderly people who wish for their grandchildren’s sound growth and success in life. An increasing number of the customers recently make special orders to have their grandson’s names printed on the banners. “The armors look even more lively and stronger when the banners flap in the breeze. It’s best to put them outside and see them together with new green leaves,” said Ohata.
(March 23, 2015)