YAMANAKAZOUDO

Sanuki Itto-bori carving is characterized by a carving method that utilizes the chisel's blade marks as they are in the finishing process.

It is a traditional craft of Kagawa Prefecture. The harmony of roughness and fineness created by using different types of chisels and finishing chisels is the charm of Sanuki Itto-bori carving. Yamanaka Zodo often uses lacquer or wood coloring instead of coloring the carving to bring out the sword marks, and uses camphor wood, which has a good feel for the chisel and a beautiful finish after coloring.

The Sanuki Itto-bori carving technique is said to have originated in 1837, when temple carpenters from all over Japan carved Daruma dolls and other objects by hand during the construction of the Konpira Daigongen shrine.

In 1965, when Their Majesties the Emperor and Empress visited Shikoku, he was honored with a demonstration of Sanuki Itto-bori carving, and in 1985, his work was designated as a traditional craft of Kagawa Prefecture.

Today, the third generation Zodo craftsman, Takeshi Yamanaka, has inherited these traditional techniques, improved the design and expression, and created many excellent works. In recent years, he has been focusing on training his successors, and the modern-style "POP Daruma" he has created with his daughter, Nozomi Ono, has attracted nationwide attention and is the talk of the town.