In searching for information for JapaneseGeta.com, I found a web page about activities in Fukushima Prefecture. One of the activities in Kitakata City was to make a pair of geta (attaching the straps), of course, I had to do this!
After some searching, I managed to speak by telephone with someone who seemed to know what I was talking about, he told me to go to Kitakata and ask for “The Kiri Museum.”
I started out from Ueno station in Tokyo and rode the Tohoku (North East) Shinkansen to Koriyama, about 200 km away. At Koriyama, I changed to the red Banetsu Line train for the 100 km ride west to Kitakata.
I was directed to an information booth outside the station, and asked there for directions to The Kiri Museum. Much to my relief, they knew what I was talking about, and gave me a map with the museum circled, and pointed out the direction to walk.
After about 15 minutes walking I arrived at the museum, and went inside. I was greeted by Mr. Ogura who remembered my phone call and collected my 500 yen admission fee — about $4.50. Unfortunately, the make your own geta activity requires a group of at least 20 and prior reservations.
To enter the museum, you walk through a tunnel made of geta bases. Special interest museums like this are often quite small, just a couple rooms. I was pleasantly surprised to see it was several large rooms on 2 floors.
The first exhibits showed how paulownia (kiri) trees grow, and demonstrated the how the wood is both very light weight, and quite strong. It also feels warm to the touch.
Much of the next room was full of products made with paulownia: boxes, utensils, cabinets, and of course, geta. Some might think there were too many geta and not enough boxes, but simple as they are, the variety of geta made over the centuries is amazing.
There was a stairway to a second floor. At the landing halfway up, there was a large screen with various images of the trees, flowers, harvesting, and people making products from the wood.
So what was upstairs? I wondered.
The first thing one sees at the top of the stairs is a circular sculpture made of hundreds of multi-colored geta bases, and all around the room is geta of every description. Geta were big, small, tall, short, plain, colored, one tooth, two teeth, three teeth, no teeth, combined with every possible color of strap, and off to the side was a room with geta you could try on.
Other people there must have thought me a bit strange as I took a full roll of film in the display area.
Finally I came to a room with a carpeted floor, benches, dozens of pairs of assorted geta, and a sign inviting us to try them on.
Of course I immediately gravitated to the tengu geta because, well, because they were there. There were two Japanese couples in the room, and they both stood and watched as I carried them to the bench and put them on. I didn’t quite understand what they said, but it seemed to be an expression of surprise, as I stood up and walked.
I handed one of them my camera so they could take my picture, and someone else also took my picture. So, somewhere in Japan is a picture of “that crazy American” wearing Tengu geta.
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You can see there’s quite a collection on the floor, including pokkuri/okobo, slanted front, a pair of Dutch sabots, round bottoms (there’s that balance theme again), and a pair of round wood pokkuri with handhold straps (see Balance, Part I).
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The final stop was the museum’s shop. It was quite large and had a vast assortment of boxes, chests, bowls, utensils, and of course geta.
The geta were the common 2 tooth variety, but they were very nicely made and certainly made of paulownia. They were reasonably priced, and as you would expect, I bought a pair. The photo is of their geta maker attaching the straps.
Before leaving the Kiri Museum, I had a conversation with the proprietor, Mr. Ogura, and told him about this web site.
Leaving the museum, I passed a stack of geta, as they are arranged to dry. These were gray from the weather, usually, they are not left outside for so long.
Back at the station, I had a bowl of ramen, and met a Japanese man and his daughter who wanted to practice their English, then I returned to Tokyo.