竹工品・木工品
＜Bamboo and Wood＞
お神酒口
Omiki guchi
神酒の口は神具の一種で、曲げ物の製作技術によって支えられる工芸品です。神棚に供える神酒徳利の口に挿して装飾されます。「粘り・光沢・香り」と三拍子揃った吉野桧の背板を選び、表面に溝を彫り、カンナで紙のように薄く削った経木の溝同士を編み目のように組み合わせて作られます。お神酒口は三百年もの歴史をもち、転地長久五穀豊穣、無病息災など幸せを祈願する人々の思いが込められており、正月やおめでたい節目に用いられています。奈良県で作られています。
These sacred sake mouths made in Nara Prefecture have a history that can be traced back approximately 300 years. Made using bentwood techniques, the sake mouths are inserted into the tops of sake bottles offered at Shinto altars and are also used at New Year's and other auspicious occasions to convey people's wishes for health and happiness, good fortune, and bountiful harvests. Sake mouths are traditionally made of Yoshino cypress, which is known for its strength, fragrance, and luster. Craftsmen cut grooves into the surface of the wood, shave it with a plane to make paper-thin strips, then knit them together like a mesh.