奄美大島の伝統工芸品「本場大島紬」をご紹介！ 奄美大島を生産地とする伝統工芸品の一つである本場大島紬について「伝統工芸 青山スクエア」が公開した『手技TEWAZA「本場大島紬」Honba Oshima Tsumugi Weaving』という動画を元に、「本場大島紬」の文化や歴史を紹介させていただきます。 本場大島紬って何？ 本場大島紬とは、鹿児島県の奄美大島を発祥の地とする日本の伝統工芸品の一つである絹織物のことを指します。 日本の伝統衣装である着物の中の代表的存在で「着物の女王」とも呼ばれています。 高級絹織物とされていることから、本場大島紬を着ているだけで、知っている人には一目置かれる逸品です。 本場大島紬の始まりは7世紀頃で、文化的にも歴史的にも非常に古くから受け継がれてきています。 奄美大島には国外との交流の文化が数多く存在しますが、本場大島紬もルーツがインドにて生まれた"絣（かすり）織り"であることから、この国外の交流文化の賜物と言えます。 本場大島紬の染色方法"泥染め" 本場大島紬の製造工程で何よりも特徴的な点として挙げられるのは、染色の方法として泥染めをしていることでしょう。 この泥染めという染色方法ですが、絹糸の蚕白質の上にあるシャリンバイに含まれているタンニン酸色素と泥に含まれている鉄分が化学結合することにより、深い光沢のある味わい深い黒色を出すことが出来ます。 この自然由来の味わいが伝統工芸品たる所以であり、古くから受け継がれるべき文化だと言えます。 泥染めがどのように行われているかは動画で実際にご覧になれます。 本場大島紬のまとめ 文化的にも深い歴史を持つ伝統工芸品の本場大島紬は、今もなお奄美大島を中心に受け継がれてきています。 日本の文化とも言える伝統工芸ですが、やはり時代の流れと共に後継者が減っているのが現状です。 特殊な製造工程、細かい作業を全て手作業で行うことが主な理由とされています。 この日本の文化である伝統工芸品の一つが無くなってしまわないよう、鹿児島県としても本場大島紬織物協同組合や本場大島紬の里等の活動を盛んにされているので、今回の動画を見て興味を持った方は、ぜひ鹿児島に足を運んでみてはいかがでしょうか。

Introducing the Underwater World of Amami Oshima! This time, we'll introduce the video "[ 4K Ultra HD ] 奄美の海中世界 Underwater World in Amami Islands (Shot on RED EPIC)" with which you can enjoy the beautiful underwater scenery of Amami Oshima in the Amami Islands, Kagoshima Prefecture. The video was released by "AQUA Geo Graphic." The approximately 3-minute long video is packed with beautiful images of underwater coral reefs and the tropical fish of Amami Oshima, a subtropical climate. Amami Oshima in Kagoshima Prefecture Photo：A village in Amami Oshima, Kagoshima Prefecture Amami Oshima, introduced in the video, is the main island of the Amami Islands located at the southern tip of Kagoshima Prefecture. There is also Amami Oshima Airport in Amami Oshima, and there are also flights from Kagoshima as well as Tokyo and Osaka. Skymark Airlines, LCC peaches, and JAL offer flights, and in recent years it has become popular as a remote island that can be visited easily. Car rental is convenient for traveling from the airport! For those who are not confident in driving or don't have a license to do so, we recommend visiting on a tour. Staying in Naze, Amami City, in the center of the island, is great as it allows you to be right in the middle of everything the island has to offer. For those who want to enjoy a private space, we recommend staying at a resort hotel that is a little more tucked away. Diving in Amami Oshima! Photo：Amami oshima The Amami Islands consist of eight inhabited islands: Kikaijima, Kakeromajima, Kakejima, Yoroshima, Tokunoshima, Okinoerabujima, and Yoronshima, and Amami Oshima which is the largest of these. Since it is located in the middle of Okinawa Island, which is about 380 km south of Kagoshima, the waters are incredibly clear and are called "Amami Blue." You can also see coral reefs and colorful tropical fish in the sea around here. It's also possible to encounter groups of clownfish, moray eels, and sea turtles like in the popular Disney movie "Finding Nemo." Many coral reefs inhabit the sea of Amami Oshima, and you can also see coral, such as "Hama coral" and "branch coral" up close. You can see the beautiful coral reefs from 1:39 in the video. In addition to diving, you can also enjoy several experience-based activities, such as whale watching and snorkeling in the sea of Amami Oshima! Attractions and Sightseeing on Amami Oshima! Photo：Exploring mangroves by canoe The charm of Amami Oshima is the beautiful sea, but that's not all it has to offer. On the island of Amami Oshima, Kinsakubaru Forest and the Amami Mangrove Forest are famous. The two of these make up the Amami Gunto National Park, a place abundant with nature. It is also home to animals so rich in character that it is called the Galapagos of the Orient, and if you're lucky, you'll be able to see the nationally protected species of the island, such as the "Amami rabbit," "Lidith's jay," and the "White-backed woodpecker" or Kagoshima prefecture's protected species, the "Amami Oshima Frog." In addition, "Ayamaru Misaki", "Tomori Beach" and "Mt. Yuwan" on the island are also great places to visit. Summary of Amami Oshima in Kagoshima Prefecture Photo：Amami Oshima Island, Kagoshima Prefecture In this article we introduced a video showing diving on Amami Oshima. Hopefully this article and video have sparked your interest in the popular Island. Amami Oshima is a place where you can enjoy gourmet food as well as scuba diving. If you still haven't yet, be sure to check out the video to see the beautiful scenery of Amami Oshima! 【Official Website】Amami Oshima Tourist Guide｜Operated by the Amami Oshima Tourism and Products Federation | Relax in Amami https://www.amami-tourism.org/en/ 【Tripadvisor】Amami Oshima https://www.tripadvisor.com/Tourism-g14769233-Amami_Oshima_Kagoshima_Prefecture_Kyushu-Vacations.html