With a title like that, it’s probably hard to guess what it’s about.
Let’s reveal the secret first. It’s this.
The key part of a fan. It’s called the ”Kaname(Core hinge)” of the fan. I bought it at a fan shop in Kyoto about 10 years ago and have been using it day by day, but this year the Kaname broke. Of course, it’s not a particularly high-end fan, but the rest of it seems to be in good condition, and I’m quite attached to it, so I wondered if it could be repaired.
As expected, you can find anything in Tokyo. I searched online and found this shop.
Matsuneya in Asakusa-bashi. It was a terribly hot day, but I mustered up the courage to visit. After getting off at JR Asakusa-bashi Station, I started walking through the wholesale district under this year’s intense sunlight, and sweat started pouring out almost immediately.
Fortunately, I found the shop before I collapsed, not too far from the station.
As expected of a specialty store with 100 years of history, the interior is quite impressive.
In the back of the store, an elderly man (judging from the information on the website, the previous master) was busy organizing items while sitting halfway on a raised platform.
When I walked up close, he finally noticed me and looked up, so I asked, “Can you fix the Kaname on this fan?” and handed him the fan in question.
He took it in his hands, examined it for about five seconds, and muttered,
“About 15 minutes. Black or white?”
Oh, he’s too busy working to spare a word. This kind of response, embodying the very essence of a traditsional CRAFTSMAN, is rare these days.
“Black, please. I’ll come back later to pick it up,” I said, and the previous master nodded slightly and returned to his work without looking up again.
This is like the world of Rakugo. This shop is amazing. I was a little moved.
About an hour later, when I returned to pick up the item, the current master and his guests were in the middle of a difficult business discussion. When I started with, “Um, I had orderd…repair…Kaname…,” the master, unlike his father(?), greeted me with a modern, friendly demeanor, and the repair was completed successfully.
So, for just 500 yen, I met a very interesting craftsmanship experience and even took some photos for my blog. What a wonderful day!
