BEYOND TATAMI: AGRICULTURE AND CRAFTS IN OITA 28 JUL 2024

Sun 28 July 2024

Jesus College

As a joint event with the Japan Foundation, Jesus College, and Oita Prefecture, Japan, we’re thrilled to present an afternoon of sustainable agriculture, heritage, and crafts in the Frankopan Hall, Jesus College, Cambridge. Tickets available via the link below.

Agriculture specialist HAYASHI Hiroaki, President of the Kunisaki Peninsula Area GIAHS Promotion Association, and master craftsperson IWAKIRI Chika, skilled in the use of shichitoi, join us from the Kunisaki Peninsula in Oita Prefecture, Japan. Following a brief talk on sustainable agricultural practice by Hiroaki, who played a key role in recognising Oita as a Globally Important Agricultural Heritage System (GIAHS) by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), Chika will demonstrate how shichitoi—a scarce, highly valuable crop found only on the Kunisaki Peninsula—can be used in traditional crafts.

After Chika’s demonstration, workshop ticketholders will be guided through making their very own Shimenawa ring, a traditional rope often used in rituals, out of shichitoi. (Attendees with tickets for the presentation only are welcome to observe.)

SUNDAY 28 JULY 2PM

2:00pm Event starts
2:10pm Brief talk about the agriculture in Kunisaki, Oita and agricultural plants including Shiitake mushroom and Tatami grass (shichitoi) by HAYASHI Hiroaki*
2:30pm Demonstration using Tatami grass (shichitoi) by IWAKIRI Chika*
2:45pm Shimenawa making workshop*
3:30pm Q&A
3:45pm Event ends

* Delivered in Japanese with English interpretation

Cost: £5-20