Arts & Crafts in Yasugi city, Shimane

The Oku-izumo Yasugi region is rich with myths that have been passed down where the tatara iron production has developed. Here is a short tour that sets out to trace the locations of these scattered legends based on the story and cultural assets of the Japan Heritage “Land of Izumo Chronicle”, and to depict the future of the participants through interaction with the people who are carrying on the traditions to this day. The tour includes a visit to the Kanayago Shrine for a prayer and a blacksmith workshop experience.

• ①A journey to meet the stories created by the 1,000 years of iron making. The Oku-Izumo Yasugi region have developed through "tatara" iron making. Here is a journey to retrace the story and cultural assets of the Japan Heritage “Land of Izumo Chronicle” based on the scattered traditional sites, and to draw your own future through the interaction with people who are carrying on the tradition to this day.
• ②Special limited public viewing of the “Tamahagane Engi”, a designated cultural property of Yasugi City. A special limited public viewing of the historical picture scroll “Tamahagane Engi” is offered, a story depicting the tatara iron making and is also recognized in the Japan Heritage “Land of Izumo, Tatara Chronicle - A Thousand Years of Iron-”. While viewing this large work, which is approximately 55 meters long, visitors can learn and deepen their understanding of the 1400-year history of tatara iron making.
• ③Interaction with a real blacksmith. Experience being an apprentice to Hironari Koto, a blacksmith at Kajikobo Hiromitsu. The workshop has been practicing tatara iron smelting and blacksmithing since the Edo period and continues to carry on the traditions of Izumo ironworking to this day. Unlike regular iron smelting experiences or studio tours, this experience uses the real blacksmith's workshop and tools. You will enjoy the time spent looking back on your past and future while learning about the thoughts and struggles of the blacksmiths who have inherited the history and are putting it to use in the present.　
• ④ Experience praying at Kanayago Shrine, a place of worship for people involved in iron In addition to the experience of becoming an apprentice to a swordsmith at the Kaji Kobo Hiromitsu workshop, the experience of praying at Kanayago Shrine, which is a place of worship for people involved with iron, is a valuable opportunity to come into close contact with the local culture and beliefs. At this special place where history and works intersect, you can enjoy a time of dialogue with your own honest feelings that lie deep within, while feeling the connection between the past and the future.
• ⑤Enjoy a relaxing time at the premium Ryokan “Saginoyusou”, a 1-minute walk from the Adachi Museum of Art, a popular destination for foreign tourists The Adachi Museum of Art has been ranked number one in the Japanese garden rankings of the American journal “Journal of Japanese Gardening” for 21 consecutive years. Saginoyusou, which is located close to the world-famous Adachi Museum of Art, is a long-established ryokan (Japanese-style inn) that has been in business since 1909. Enjoy a relaxing time in a premium space where you can fully enjoy the hot spring water that flows directly from the source, exquisite cuisine, and the pure Japanese-style architecture and gardens.