Last Updated: Apr 28, 2024

Kumano Hiroshima

The Calligraphy Brush Capital of Japan

This story was originally published on donnykimball.com and has been syndicated here on Medium.

Today, I’d like to talk to you about Kumano — no, not that Kumano in Wakayama. Instead, this time, we’re going to look at the sleepy town of Kumano in Hiroshima Prefecture. Likely, most of you have never heard of this hamlet before. Heck, I only recently learned about Hiroshima’s Kumano last year when I started working with the Setouchi DMO to promote the region overseas. Despite its obscurity, Kumano is internationally famous for its fude brushes.

How a village located in this mountainous area of Hiroshima Prefecture became so celebrated in both Japan and the rest of the world is quite the tale. Allegedly, Kumano’s master craftsmen got their start way back in the Edo period (1603–1868) when the local lord wanted to create a new industry to supplement what his farmers could produce. Since its inception hundreds of years ago, this Japanese artisanal culture has continued to thrive in the town of Kumano.

These days, around 1,500 of the 27,000 inhabitants of Kumano are involved in the industry. Altogether, this comparatively small population produces a mind-boggling 15 million fude brushes per year. From what I’ve learned online, this accounts for as much as 80% of Japan’s total brush production. Because of this, Kumano has earned…