the village of Ninose
Ninose, along the Kurama River, is a small settlement between the mountains and the water. Yasuhiro Imae, who leads Kurama Kobo, was born here and is still based here. What follows about this place and the Imae family is written in his own words.
The Kurama River flowing through Ninose
A family that fled here
My family traces its line back to Ki no Natora. He belonged to the family of Ki no Seishi, mother of Prince Koretaka, and left the capital after losing a power struggle with the Fujiwara clan. Prince Koretaka is said to have been brought to Ninose under the protection of his retainers, and the pass where he is said to have wept at the darkness is still called Yonaki Pass, the Pass of Crying at Night. I am the forty-fourth generation of that line. (Written by Yasuhiro Imae)
The torii gate beside Ninose Station
"We have just arrived in Edo"
In the Edo period, Ninose was the domain of the Hayashi family, whose founder was the Confucian scholar Hayashi Razan. Those who served the Hayashi and travelled to Edo were told, "You have just arrived in Edo, so take the name Imae" - ima meaning now, and e from Edo. That, our family says, is where the name Imae began. (Written by Yasuhiro Imae)
The Imae family tree. The original has been donated to the City of Kyoto
The village head and Hosendo
In 1674, through the efforts of Kiyonaga Imae, then village head, the Hayashi family shrine known as Hosendo was built here. Razan's belongings and writings were kept in it, and records show that offerings were made on the memorial days of each generation of the Hayashi family. The building was lost after the Meiji Restoration; a stone monument inscribed in classical Chinese remains on the site.
The Kyoto City Archives describe a collection called the Imae Family Documents. Spanning from 1509 to 1874, the collection records the Imae as goshi, rural samurai, of Ninose village, and as descendants of Prince Koretaka's retainers. In 2024 these documents were donated to the City of Kyoto.
The stone monument on the site of Hosendo, fenced to keep deer out
Living off what this land gives
Ninose is hemmed in by steep mountains and has almost no rice fields. Charcoal, firewood, sansho pepper. Households here made their living from what this ground produced. My own family managed the Hayashi estate. (Written by Yasuhiro Imae)
A sansho pepper tree
The founder of the woodturners, and Ninose
Prince Koretaka came to Ninose because his grandfather Ki no Natora had lost a political struggle with the Fujiwara clan; with his life in danger, the prince fled to Ninose, which lay within the Ki clan's sphere. Ever since, woodturners across Japan have revered him as the founder of their craft. Kimigahata in Higashiomi, Shiga, is also well known for this tradition.
In Ninose the prince is said to have lived under the protection of around a hundred retainers. The chopstick-making experience at Kurama Kobo, and mokufu - cloth woven from wood - are a continuation of that same story of wood in this place. (Written by Yasuhiro Imae)
And so, to the workshop
That forty-fourth generation is opening a workshop that makes things from the materials of Kurama.
Moriya Shrine and Fuji Shrine
Ninose has two shrines: Moriya Shrine, dedicated to Prince Koretaka, and Fuji Shrine, dedicated to his mother Ki no Seishi. Survey records note that the main hall of Moriya Shrine collapsed in the Second Muroto Typhoon of 1961, and that the deity was moved to Fuji Shrine in 1963.
The stone wall of Moriya and Fuji Shrines, damaged by the windstorm of 2018
What we hope to do next
The windstorm that struck Kyoto in 2018 flattened trees across the forests of the Kurama area and caused severe damage. The photograph still shows its marks.
One day I would like to put the site of Hosendo in order. The private academy Razan founded became a foundation of learning in the generations that followed. I would like to light that up again in this place, as a place of study. Neither the timing nor the form has been decided. When it is, we will let you know on this site. (Written by Yasuhiro Imae)