[Hoshino Village] (Yame City, Fukuoka Prefecture, Former province name: Chikugo)

The lineage of culture and landscape of Kyushu, or "Tsukushi", recorded in ancient historical books and stories, is thought to have been most strongly inherited in Chikugo Province (present-day southern Fukuoka Prefecture). One of the reasons for this is that the former governing body, Tsukushi Kuni no Miyatsuko, was established in what would later become Chikugo Province, but in Japanese history textbooks, "Iwai" (?-528) is essentially linked to Chikugo Kuni no Miyatsuko. He was the mastermind behind the "Iwai Rebellion", the largest civil war in ancient Japan, and is believed to have made his base near present-day Yame City, and his tomb, Iwatoyama Kofun, still exists within the city. Iwai and his territory, which boasted a certain presence not only in Japan but also in the East Asian world, allowed their unique culture to take root in the region due to the unchanging geographical conditions even after the organization was destroyed. In Yame City, with its beautiful, lush mountain ranges, the area of ​​"Hoshino Village" exudes a particularly fragrant cultural aroma. Located about 20km east of Yame's central city area, "Fukushima," Hoshino Village was once a single municipality, but was incorporated into Yame City in recent years through a merger. Today, along with the surrounding areas, it is part of "Oku-Yame" and is a major producer of the nationally renowned "Yame Tea." Yame Tea is a type of tea that began to be cultivated in the Muromachi period and is known as the so-called "Gyokuro" brand. The tea leaves, which have a deep flavor that is trapped in them due to the climate of the mountains with its extreme temperature differences and the weather conditions of the foggy valleys, are highly popular, and since modern times, full-scale cultivation has led to the tea growing into a specialty product representing the Chikugo region. In Hoshino Village, Yame City, the "Tea Culture Museum" (photos 2-4) has been established, where you can learn about and experience the charm of Yame Tea, and you can also experience "Shizuku Tea" inside the museum. The unique method of tasting the tea three times with hot water of different temperatures and then eating the tea leaves with vinegar and soy sauce is said to have been invented in Hoshino Village. The very existence of Shizuku-cha, which allows you to enjoy tea to the fullest, seems to embody the extraordinary culture of Yame. There are many other shops in the village that express the charm of tea, and you can see how traditional techniques and products are combined with fresh ideas. (Pâtisserie "Kashi Kichi Hoshinomura" and others. Photos 5-8) On the other hand, the deep shadows of the "mountain area", which is different from the plains, give it an inviolable sense of secrecy. The symbolic presence of this is the "Ancient Pottery Hoshinoyaki Exhibition Hall" (Photos 1, 9-10). Hoshinoyaki is a pottery kiln that was once inherited as an official kiln of the Kurume Domain, and mainly produced tea utensils, reflecting the climate of Yame, where tea cultivation is thriving. However, when the feudal domains were abolished and prefectures were established in the Meiji era, the craft lost its backing and rapidly declined. It was eventually abolished. However, in 1968, about 80 years after its abolition, ceramist Genta Yamamoto (1942-), from Tottori Prefecture, happened to come across Hoshino ware in Koishiwara, where he was training, and was attracted by the beautiful natural environment of Hoshino village, so he moved there and opened a kiln. He then enlisted the help of the villagers to steadily investigate the soil, explore remains and historical materials, and after repeated experiments, he finally succeeded in reviving Hoshino ware. This feat attracted a lot of attention, and new artists began opening kilns one after another. The Koto Hoshinoyaki Exhibition Hall is a gallery that introduces the charm of Hoshino ware from ancient times to the present. The highlight of the museum is the spatial design, which incorporates ingenuity to make the pottery "appealing." Entering the building, you are struck by the strange appearance of the tower, which resembles a kiln chimney, in a star-shaped structure. In the center, a clear water pool is filled, and the hard stone objects further enhance the sense of tension. Numerous Hoshino ware pieces are displayed in the surrounding corridors and walls, and while they are silent, their presence speaks deeply to the heart. As you slowly walk around and rest, struck by the beauty, something suddenly pours onto the water surface in front of you. Realizing that it is a faint powder of snow, you look up to the ceiling, and the tower is open to the sky, and natural phenomena are directly connected to it. Witnessing the fantastic changes in light and dark, you are reminded of the glaze, "sunset glaze," which is handed down in Hoshino ware. When you pour tea into it, it shines golden and is said to turn color like a sunset in your hand. Looking back at its strange legends and history, the miracle of its restoration seems like a revelation from heaven, and I couldn't help but feel even more charmed by its mysticism. Access: About 50 minutes by car from Yame IC (to the Hoshino Pottery Exhibition Hall) Recommended for solo travelers: ★★★★★ (You can explore to your heart's content. It's almost exclusively reserved!) Visit date: Around 4pm on a weekday in the third week of December #Hoshino Village #Yame #Yame City #Chikugo #Fukuoka Trip #Kyushu Trip #Kyushu Tourism #Kyushu Gram #I Love Kyushu #Tea Culture Museum #Hoshino Pottery Exhibition Hall #Hoshino Pottery Exhibition Hall #kashikichi #Yame Tea #Hoshino Pottery #Tableware Lover #Pottery Lover #Life with Tableware #Pottery Town #Architecture Lover #Architecture Tour #Famous Architecture #Architectural Design #Modern Architecture #Spatial Design #Spatial Planning #History Lover #Solo Travel #Life with Travel #Fukuoka Tourism