"YAMAGATA CRAFT FAIR" to Be Held for First Time in Hong Kong

from November 28, 2023, to January 28, 2024

The Yamagata Prefectural Government will hold a "YAMAGATA CRAFT FAIR" at two venues in Hong Kong -- the monmaya outlet in SOGO Causeway Bay Store and the monmaya flagship store in Happy Valley -- from November 28, 2023, to January 28, 2024. More than 150 works made by 20 craftspeople representing Yamagata, one of Japan's leading craft production areas, will be displayed and sold. This will be the first attempt by the Japanese prefectural government to hold such a trade fair in Hong Kong. The works by 14 artisans have never been brought to Hong Kong before. Everyone is welcome to visit the craft fairs.

Sand Iron Kettle "Natsume" from CHOBUNDO: https://cdn.kyodonewsprwire.jp/prwfile/release/M106218/202311022208/_prw_PI7fl_947hSZO0.jpg

"Hidariuma NEO" good-luck item from Satou-Kougei Co., Ltd: https://cdn.kyodonewsprwire.jp/prwfile/release/M106218/202311022208/_prw_PI8fl_L1C46lxh.png

Highlights

Most of the works such as iron kettles of Yamagata casting, ceramics, silk fabrics, woodworking products, and so on have never been brought to Hong Kong before. Among the distinctive features of those items are CHOBUNDO’s iron kettles which are made from very rare magnetite sand, and they are very hard and resistant to corrosion. They can be used for more than 100 years. Satou-Kougei’s "Hidariuma NEO" good-luck item features both modern and traditional designs on "shogi," Japanese chess, pieces, of which Yamagata is the biggest producer in Japan. The craft fairs will give people of Hong Kong good opportunities to see and feel the fine and high-quality products from Yamagata firsthand.

Outline of the event

- Host: Yamagata Prefecture

- Period: November 28 (Tuesday), 2023, to January 28 (Sunday), 2024

- Venue: monmaya stores in Hong Kong

(1) monmaya in SOGO Causeway Bay Store (9F 555 Hennessy Road, Causeway Bay, Hong Kong)

(2) monmaya flagship store in Happy Valley (No.89 Wong Nai Chung Road, Happy Valley, Hong Kong)

Weaving Yonezawa fabric: https://cdn.kyodonewsprwire.jp/prwfile/release/M106218/202311022208/_prw_PI9fl_r9hlJgQT.jpg

Casting Yamagata "imono" cast iron: https://cdn.kyodonewsprwire.jp/prwfile/release/M106218/202311022208/_prw_PI10fl_262lbMDQ.jpg

About Yamagata Prefecture

Yamagata Prefecture, about 300 km north of Tokyo and situated in the eastern part of the Tohoku region in northeastern Japan, is endowed with beautiful nature and surrounded by grand mountains such as Mt. Zao, which is one of the top 100 mountains in Japan. The prefecture is famous as the largest producer of cherries in Japan and for its "Ginzan Onsen" spa resort, which still has traces of the romanticism of the Taisho era (1912-1926), and is also known as a filming location for the popular TV drama series "Oshin." Furthermore, Yamagata Prefecture has a history of playing an active role in trade using ships in the Mogami River. At the same time, its rich nature and commerce have been a driving force behind creating traditional crafts unique to Yamagata.

Yamagata’s Cherries: https://cdn.kyodonewsprwire.jp/prwfile/release/M106218/202311022208/_prw_PI11fl_92eX1CUp.jpg

Ginzan Onsen: https://cdn.kyodonewsprwire.jp/prwfile/release/M106218/202311022208/_prw_PI12fl_3jjNyN10.jpg

For reference, visit monmaya's Facebook page:

https://www.facebook.com/monmaya1872 (Traditional Chinese)