Kumano brushes, denim, and other G7 summit coverage bases to promote Hiroshima's specialties

The International Media Center in Hiroshima City, which serves as a base for coverage of the G7 Hiroshima Summit, has a corner to promote Hiroshima's specialty products to the press in Japan and overseas.

At the International Media Center, which was opened at the Prefectural General Gymnasium in Naka-ku, Hiroshima City, journalists from Japan and abroad conduct interviews every day.

At the corner where meals are served to journalists who cannot go out, dishes using vegetables and meat from Hiroshima Prefecture are served.

In addition, on the floor introducing Hiroshima's traditional crafts and techniques, about 20 products are on display, including products using Kumano brush from Kumano Town, which is the best production area in Japan and known for its high quality, denim fabric from Fukuyama City, and a swimming tank for Nikigoi, which Hiroshima Prefecture is one of the leading production areas in Japan.

In addition, Japan sake and beer made in the prefecture are also on display, and wine provided to the leaders of each country on the 19th, the first day of the summit, is also on display.

In the corner promoting Japan food that changes daily, a Japanese chef made tai caught at a port in Hiroshima Prefecture, and people from overseas media took pictures with great interest.

Kazuki Sasano, a member of the Hiroshima Summit Prefectural Council Secretariat, who was in charge of the exhibition, said, "There was a great response from overseas media who saw the exhibition of traditional crafts, such as asking how to make them, and I hope that the summit will convey the goodness of Hiroshima."

"Kumano brush" Highly evaluated for its delicate writing and texture

The Kumano brush is made in Kumano Town in western Hiroshima Prefecture, which is the largest production area in Japan.

Currently, about 70 businesses make calligraphy, painting, and makeup brushes.

In recent years, as the demand for calligraphy brushes has declined, the company has been focusing on the production of makeup brushes, and in 2011, it attracted attention when it was presented to members of the women Japan's women's national soccer team "Nadeshiko Japan" as a commemorative gift of the National Honor Award.

Brush making began in Kumano Town about 180 years ago at the end of the Edo period, when brushes and ink were purchased from Nara and Wakayama and sold in order to earn income during the off-season in this area where farmland was scarce, and people who learned brush making locally and returned home spread the method of making brushes.

After that, the Hiroshima Domain recommended crafts, so it grew into a major production area.

There are about 20 types of animal hair used for brushes, including deer, horses, and goats.

Relying on the sensations of the eyes and fingertips, the craftsman considers the type and amount of bristles according to the purpose of the brush and combines them in a well-balanced manner.

The delicate writing and texture are highly regarded both in Japan and abroad.

"Fukuyama Denim" Producing a wide variety of fabrics

Fukuyama City, Hiroshima Prefecture, is a denim fabric town that accounts for more than 8% of the domestic denim fabric production by companies in the city.

Since cotton cultivation began in the Edo period, it developed as a production area for cotton fabrics, and since the 1960s, denim fabric production has grown as a major industry.

Denim fabrics are woven with blue warp threads, weft threads are woven with white threads, and blue-dyed yarns are left white without dyeing the center, resulting in denim-specific color fading over time.

By changing the thickness of the yarn, the material, the color to be dyed, etc., various fabrics with different textures and textures are produced.

The fact that many craftsmen with expertise in the process of making denim fabrics, such as dyeing and weaving, gather in this area makes it possible to produce a variety of denim fabrics.

Being able to make a wide variety of fabrics that meet the needs of our clients is a characteristic of Fukuyama's denim industry.

However, the challenge is that these strengths are not always widely known.

At the G7 Hiroshima Summit, bags made of Fukuyama denim were chosen as souvenirs to be distributed to delegations and media representatives of each country, and it is expected that they will become more well-known around the world.

"Hiroshima's Japan sake" About 40 sake breweries Unique flavors and aromas

There are about 40 Japan sake breweries in Hiroshima Prefecture, and each region produces Japan sake with unique flavors and aromas.

In particular, Saijo Sake Brewery Street in Higashihiroshima City, where many sake breweries are lined up, is popular as a tourist destination, with various events such as the "brewery opening" to announce the creation of new sake.

Public-private partnerships to support the holding of the summit

The Hiroshima Summit Prefectural Citizens' Conference is a public-private organization formed by Hiroshima Prefecture, Hiroshima City, the Hiroshima Prefectural Federation of Chambers of Commerce and Industry, and has been supporting the holding of the Summit in Hiroshima since its establishment in July last year.

Governor Yuzaki served as the chairman, Mayor Matsui of Hiroshima City and Ikeda served as vice chairman, and about 7 people worked as staff members of the secretariat.

The Prefectural Citizens' Assembly has five basic policies: "Support for the Summit," "Hospitality," "Transmission of Peace," "Conveying the Charm of Hiroshima," and "Participation of Young People in Anticipation of the Post-Summit."

Among them, in the "event support" section, I have been involved in administrative work related to the operation of meetings, such as allocating accommodation to many people involved in governments, security, and the media, and distributing large amounts of boxed lunches.

In the area of youth participation, the G70 Hiroshima Summit Junior Meeting was held to discuss global issues, and the outcome documents were handed over to Prime Minister Kishida.

The logo of the G5 Hiroshima Summit, which was independently established by the Prefectural Citizens' Assembly, was created by five students of the Creative Expression Course at Hiroshima Municipal Motomachi High School, with a dove, a symbol of peace, and origami paper inspired by 7 cities and towns in the prefecture.