Kumano brush

The fude brush has helped to sustain many Japanese traditional cultural aspects, such as calligraphy, ink painting, pottery, and lacquer ware. The lines and characters created by the brush ensure the continuation of the production of brushes and the passing down of the craft. Kumano town in Aki county in Hiroshima prefecture is well known as Japan’s largest brush production site. Located about 15 kilometers to the east of Hiroshima city, Kumano town is the “Land of Brushes” sitting in a highland basin surrounded by abundant nature. Here, many brush masters continue to create brushes.

After that brush-making techniques were introduced from Arima during the Tenpō era (1830-1844), allowing Kumano town to become Japan’s largest brush production site since the Meiji period.

Hair removed from animal skin contains retrorse hair or fluff and must be treated before it can be used. For this reason, the hair is carefully combed several times and the tip of each hair is felt by the brushmaker’s fingertip to remove any unusable hair using a small knife called hansashi. This step can only be done by hand and the final brush must meet the vital sen-sei-en-ken criteria, that is, pointed and adequately arranged tip, while allowing easy drawing of circles yet the hairs do not break during the process.

The finished brush head is fixed onto the handle. In the case of bamboo, it is warmed to straighten any distortion and curve, while the inside is hollowed to allow the bottom of the brush head to fit in and be glued. After the brush head is fixed to the handle, funori is abundantly applied to the brush head to ensure the brush head is maintained in good condition. Excess glue is scraped off using a string and then the brush is left to dry. The signature or brand is engraved into the handle using a special knife and a kamifuda (a small piece of paper) is adhered onto the handle.

Kumano makeup brushes were born from the techniques of calligraphy brush making. Having been put on display in the Taishō era, Kumano makeup brushes have evolved  since after WWII by adapting to the great changes in makeup techniques. A prominent characteristic since the post-war period is that there are many competing companies established with varied technical systems and quality standards, including companies aiming to further develop European makeup techniques, companies focusing on producing cute shapes, as well as small-staffed companies that pride themselves in high-standard stable supplies of quality products. Today, the number of companies producing brushes preferred by world-famous Hollywood makeup artists or for international brands has increased, leading Kumano to become a highly acclaimed production area of makeup brushes