NENDO-MICHI of JIN KATAGIRI ~NIPPON local the soul of clay~ vol.4

#Akabeko #Art #Clay #Fukushima #Japan #KATAGIRIJIN #NENDO-MICHI #日本 #福島県 #粘土 #赤べこ 2021.03.09

Vol.4 “Iwaki saurus katagiri, Fukushima Prefecture”

Material：Epoxy putty, sculpey, glass beads
Legal amount : height × width × Length = 80 × 120 × 75

I was thinking of using “peaches” and “red babies” as motifs since it’s Fukushima, but when I was wandering around Tokyu Hands, I saw dinosaur figures for sale everywhere, and I thought, “It’s summer, I want to make dinosaurs! But I wondered if there was any relation between Fukushima and dinosaurs … . Ha! There’s the familiar Futaba Suzuki Ryu from Doraemon: Nobita’s Dinosaur!
So, I decided to make a case for AirPods in the shape of a sea dragon and I named it “Iwaki saurus katagiri”, which means “dinosaur” discovered by “Katagiri” in Iwaki.
Thank you to everyone who came up with the name!

After making the core with epoxy putty and the shape of the sea dragon with Sculpey, I stamped the surface with a rubber mold made from the skin of a stingray and flattened it. This was fun. This scaly look went well with the dinosaur.
The shape of the dinosaur is not Akabeko at all, but when I painted it to look like Akabeko, I think it gave it a certain “Akabeko” look.
The round pattern on its buttocks looks like eyes, and I created a mysterious setting that says, “It had a pseudo-face on its buttocks for intimidation. It is such a divine beast.

※This is a local work that was presented at the Giri Exhibition held in Iwaki City, Fukushima Prefecture in 2018.
※The name of the work was solicited during the exhibition.

Jin Katagiri
Born November 27, 1973 / Born in Saitama Prefecture / Graduated from Tama Art University
Active in the stage, movies, radio, etc., mainly in TV dramas series. Major appearances in recent years include “99.9% -Criminal Lawyer-” (TBS), “Your Turn to Kill” (NTV), and “NHK Morning drama series Yell” (NHK).
In addition to acting, he also creates clay, and from 2016 to 2018 he held a national tour at the “Jin Katagiri Absurdity Clay Art Exhibit Giri Ten.” In 2019, he is holding his first overseas solo exhibition in Taiwan.

About Iwaki city, Fukushima Prefecture

Fukushima Prefecture is the third largest prefecture in Japan. It is divided into three regions: “Hamadori” on the Pacific Ocean coast, “Nakadori” inland on the Pacific Ocean coast, and “Aizu” inland on the Sea of Japan coast. Iwaki City is located in the “Hamadori” area.
Fukushima prefecture was severely damaged by the tsunami that followed the Great East Japan Earthquake in 2011. After the earthquake, the city has been carrying out reconstruction plans with the aim of “building a city integrated with the port”.
The coastal area where the AEON MALL Iwaki Onahama, which held a Giri exhibition in August 2018, is located has also seen the opening of facilities for families to enjoy one after another.
Aquamarine Fukushima, an environmental aquarium where you can interact with about 800 species of animals, and a produce center selling fresh marine products are popular spots.

About Futabasaurus suzukii

Photo credit : Iwakishi sekitan kasekikan

Photo credit : Fukushima Prefecture Tourism Products Exchange Association

The Futabasaurus Suzukii was discovered in 1968 on the riverbank of the Ohisa River in Ohisa-Irimazawa, Ohisa-machi, Iwaki City, Fukushima Prefecture by Mr. Tadashi Suzuki, who was a high school student at the time.
Its scientific name is “Futabasaurus suzukii”.With a long neck and a total length of more than 6 meters, it looks like a dinosaur, but it is said to be a type of Emirati dragon (a large reptile) that lived in the sea at the same time as the dinosaurs. At the time, it was thought that fossils of such a large reptile would never be found in Japan, so this was a great discovery that surprised the whole country.
This discovery led to the successive discovery of Mesozoic reptile fossils in various parts of Japan.

About Akabeko

“Akabeko” is a local toy from Aizuwakamatsu City, Fukushima Prefecture.
It is a *Hariko doll with black spots and a white border painted on a red-painted cow.
The doll’s head moves up and down and is very popular as a souvenir.
The Akabeko has been loved by the people of Aizu since ancient times as a good luck charm to ward off evil and plague.
It is said that the name “Akabeko” came from the fact that cows in the Aizu region are called “beko” in a friendly way. Why does it have a red body? There are many theories as to why.
What is Hariko?(papier-mâché)
Hariko is a handicraft made by coating several sheets of Japanese paper over a wooden mold. It is said to have been introduced from China around the Heian period (794-1185), and local toys using this technique are made all over Japan.

Fukuman Kokuzo bosatsu enzoji Photo credit : Fukushima Prefecture Tourism Products Exchange Association

・About 1,200 years ago, when the construction of the Fukuman Kokuzo Sondo at Enzoji was underway, a herd of cows appeared out of nowhere to help carry materials. However, many of the cows collapsed due to the hard work. Despite this, it was the red cow that worked hard until the completion of the temple. It is said that this is the reason why people came to love the red cow as a symbol of good luck and good health.

・When smallpox broke out in the Aizu area in 1713, people put black spots on Akabeko to prevent children from getting the disease, and it worked.

・Once, there was an epidemic of pox in Aizu, and people drew patterns of the cured disease in black and white and displayed them in their houses, hoping that Akabeko (red cow) would take their place and protect them from the disease.

Because of this legend, people in Aizu often send Akabeko as a charm to ward off bad luck, as a gift to celebrate the birth of a child, or as a gift to visit a loved one.

Afterword

In 2021, the year of the Ox, Akabeko, a lucky charm to ward off plague, is said to be very popular. You can buy them online, but I would like to visit the Aizu region to find my favorite “Akabeko”. I heard that you can try painting Akabeko there, so it would be fun to make your own Akabeko. It would be nice to paint daily necessities with “Akabeko colors” like Ms. Katagiri did!