ExcursionKiso-Hirasawa Lacquerware:
A Hands-On Journey

KanameyaOmusubi Rice Ball Making Experience

Our tour begins at Kanameya, a 100-year-old traditional wooden home in Narai-juku. Under the guidance of a local expert, you’ll try making omusubi (a version of onigiri), Japan’s original on-the-go food. In the process, you'll also experience the unique atmosphere of a historic Narai home and get a feel for daily life there.After packing your omusubi into a handcrafted bentwood lunch box, you'll set off on the hike to Kiso-Hirasawa. Your rice balls will make their next appearance at lunch time.

From Narai to Kiso-HirasawaKiso nature walk

As you set out from Narai-juku towards neighboring Kiso-Hirasawa, you'll walk along a quiet trail, immersed in the beauty of the forest and its row of ancient cedar trees. You might pause from time to time amid this historic Nakasendo landscape to take deep breaths, helping you rejuvenate body and mind.Your expert local guide will point out natural details and hidden spots along the trail that aren't mentioned in the guidebooks.

To Kiso-Hirasawa, where wood is life

Kiso-Hirasawa’s lacquerware tradition dates back over 400 years, developing thanks to the region's high-quality timber and demand from travelers along the Nakasendo. The skills for making various woodcrafts and laquerware have been passed down through the generations and changing times, and even today Kiso-Hirosawa artisans continue to produce exceptional work. Our next stop on the tour is an artisan’s workshop in Kiso-Hirasawa where you’ll experience the area’s traditional craft of bentwood first hand.

Maruyoshi Kosaka Lacquerware Shop Experience the traditional bentwood craft-making process

Maruyoshi Kosaka Lacquerware Shop has been producing lacquerware in Kiso-Hirasawa for over 70 years. Reo Kosaka, the workshop’s third-generation artisan, will lead your experience. Along with faithfully reproducing the traditional techniques he learned, he also explores modern expressions of lacquerware making and woodcraft.

Five Trees of Kiso

With little land available for farming but abundant forest resources, many in Kiso-Hirasawa traditionally made their living through forestry and woodworking. In ancient times, the region’s high-quality timber was greatly valued and used around the country to build temples and shrines. However, during the Edo period (1603 – 1867), as cities expanded and the demand for Kiso cypress surged nationwide, the depletion of local forests became a serious issue. The Owari Domain, which governed the Kiso Valley, implemented strict economic regulations to help ease the situation; these included a law imposing the death penalty for cutting down any of the “Five Trees of Kiso" (of which hinoki was one) without authorization.

Maruyoshi Kosaka Lacquerware Shop Bentwood craft Mage-mono

People whose livelihoods depended on the forests developed the bentwood technique in response to these strict regulations to minimize waste. Artisans carefully split thin wood sheets, a process called hegi, boiled them in hot water to soften, then bent them into circular or oval shapes. Seams were then bound, with a base added to form containers.

At Reo Kosaka’s workshop, you’ll have the rare chance to observe the intricate hegi process firsthand.

Maruyoshi Kosaka Lacquerware Shop Observe the hegi process

The hegi process is the first step we’ll observe at the workshop. No axes are used, but rather artisans split the sheets of wood manually using a traditional technique. This involves inserting the fingers into pre-cut slits in the wood and slowly pulling it apart, all while keeping it steady with a special tool clamped between their legs. The process requires intense focus as they carefully adjust the pressure they apply to ensure both sides split evenly. Don’t miss the distinctive wood grain patterns that emerge, an important detail that machine-cut wood lacks.

Maruyoshi Kosaka Lacquerware Shop Observe the mage process

Next comes the bending process.
If you bend these thin strips of wood as they are, they simply break. However, they absorb moisture when boiled in water, becoming soft and flexible.
These softened strips are then wrapped around a wooden mold, forming circular or oval shapes. Once dried, you have the distinctive bentwood form.
During the workshop visit, you'll also see products in various stages of completion and the tools used throughout the bentwood process.

Maruyoshi Kosaka Lacquerware Shop Experience the hegi process

This tour provides the unique opportunity to experience the hegi process yourself.
First, you'll learn about the differences in grain and hardness between wood grown in planted forests and valuable wild-grown wood.
Then, after making the necessary cuts, you’ll get to try splitting the wood yourself, experiencing firsthand how challenging the technique is, as well as the wonderful fragrance and texture of Kiso hinoki cypress right after it's split.

Maruyoshi Kosaka Lacquerware Shop Scent of hinoki cypress

That special aroma of fresh-split hinoki is another special aspect of this experience.
These days, wild-grown hinoki has become rare and expensive, even within Kiso. Even so, you can bring a piece of the wood you split home with you as a gift. Use it to hold sweets, a tray to hold small items, or to give your closet the wonderful scent of Kiso hinoki, bringing back memories of your journey and the time you spent here in Kiso-Hirasawa.

Suwa Shrine Outdoor Omusubi Bento Lunch

The final stop of the tour is Suwa Shrine, where the main hall is coated in red lacquer, which is fitting for Kiso-Hirasawa.
Here you’ll enjoy the omusubi bento lunch you made earlier in the day on the shrine’s forested grounds. Surrounded by the quiet grove, you can eat slowly and savor the moment. Certainly, travelers along the Nakasendo in days gone by did the same.
After lunch, before the tour ends, we can visit a lacquerware shop, if you’d like.