Traditional craft
Toyohashi Fude
豊橋筆
High-grade, hand-made calligraphy and painting brushes from Toyohashi in Aichi, praised by calligraphers for their smooth, ink-rich stroke.
Key facts
- Officially recognised
- 15 December 1976
- Type
- Brushes, ink and inkstones
- Region
- Chubu
- Official name in Japanese
- 豊橋筆
- Official area (in Japanese)
- 豊橋市、豊川市、蒲郡市、新城市他
Smooth, ink-rich strokes
Toyohashi brushes absorb ink well, release it slowly and glide smoothly, and many calligraphers praise them. Toyohashi is said to make nearly 80% of Japan's high-grade brushes, and its makers focus on top-quality brushes for Japanese users. Besides calligraphy brushes there are fine menso brushes and brushes for Japanese painting. It is made in Toyohashi, Toyokawa, Gamagori, Shinshiro and nearby in Aichi.
About 36 steps
- Hair from goat, horse, tanuki, weasel, deer and other animals is sorted and rubbed.
- The hair is blended using water, a technique called neri-maze that defines Toyohashi brushes.
- A core is formed and wrapped in a layer of fine outer hair.
- The tip is fitted to a bamboo or wooden handle, which is carved to finish.
Samurai brush makers
In the late Edo period the lord of the Yoshida domain, which ruled today's Toyohashi, brought a brush maker from Kyoto to serve the domain and encouraged lower-ranking samurai to make brushes on the side. In early Meiji the water-mixing method, the same structure as today's brushes, took hold and became the base of Toyohashi Fude.
Good to know
- Ask for a brush matched to your script size and style.
- Fine menso brushes suit detailed painting work.
Questions travellers ask
What share of high-grade brushes comes from Toyohashi?
Nearly 80%, it is said.
What is neri-maze?
Blending the hair with water, Toyohashi's signature method.
Where it comes from
More crafts from the same area
Local foods from the same area
Heritage stories from the same area
Sources
We checked the facts on this page against these sources.