Help from your hands

A rare cold wave caused unusual snowfall in Fukuoka.

Was your area safe?

This year, the Lunar New Year coincided with the new moon, marking the start of a new and refreshing year.

Recently, I've been absorbed in spinning yarn for the first time in a long time.

Snow-white wool flows through the hands and creates thread.

I was amazed at how I could make such tiny changes using my own body, adjusting it with the sensitivity of my fingertips.

Of course, I still lack the necessary skills and there is still a lot I can learn, but I am once again grateful to have my hands as a tool that is a part of me.

Come to think of it, ever since I was a child I've loved watching people's hands make something.

I couldn't keep my eyes off the sweet craftsmen at the department store, and I stared intently at them, and I also watched sewing, braiding, bamboo crafts, farming, painting, and writing.

Regardless of the genre, watching someone who is well versed in something move their hands in their own unique rhythm to create shapes is indescribably magical and captivating.

Now that the work rooms are separate it is no longer possible to see, but watching Ono make accessories is also beautiful, and in the past I found myself having to resist the urge to stare.

When I was learning the tea ceremony, my teacher would often add the words "like the water flowing" to match the movements of the tea ceremony.

When I hear that, I somehow find myself refraining from unnecessary movements and focusing solely on the next step.

The sensei's movements are truly beautiful and flowing.

Although it is ultimately produced by the hands, it travels throughout the body, sending out various signals before reaching the hands, making you realize that each and every sense is an irreplaceable element.

The other day I watched a video of a blind person cooking a meal.

He prepares meals every day for his loved ones, even though he cannot even feel any light.

Since it's impossible to see how done the omelet is, you roll it up while checking with your fingers that it's hot.

To put tofu in miso soup, cut it into equal pieces using a knife and the size of your fingertip as a ruler.

Check the amount of miso by using your hands.

The hand acts as a thermometer, a ruler, and a measuring spoon.

Since this only happens in one scene, it's easy to imagine that they must have a wide variety of roles in their daily lives.

Normally we tend to focus on what we don't have or lack, but now I have a new respect for the things I already have. I want to make the most of what I have and enrich my daily life.

This year, Utsushiki plans to introduce a variety of creators.

In February there will be a first-time exhibition by glass artists Shun Kumagai and Aki Sakaida.

Please look forward to the world that these two will create.

Saori Konishi