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[Photograph offer:the Board of Education of Fukui prefecture]
registered
location
Owner
H18. Mar. 15th. Country registration
Onyu, Obama city
Fukui Prefecture the Committee of education
It is told that the history of jewel processing that has been done in
the wakasa provinces in which it centers on Obama City Oniyu goes back
until Kyouho period(1716〜35).
Manufacturers of Wakasa-Agate say not Jewel making(Tamatsukuri) but Jewel
polish(Tamasuri). Jewel manufacturing of Wakasa-Agate in tools used, it
ranges to the genealogy of the technology of the gem making workman who
has been called Tamasuri. A lot of traditional tools since Edo period are
included in the polishing tools of Wakasa-Agate.
The process of Tamasuri becomes it in the order named Harding(Yakiire)
→ Cutting → Lacking → Puncturing → Cutting down → Polishing. The stone
cut like dice undergoes plastic operation to shape like the drum almost
by lacking. And, the part that corresponds to the leather of the drum is
punctured from both sides. The stick to cut down and the spit to polish
are opened to an open hole, and the work cut down and the polished work
are done. The feature of the work of Tamasuri like this is that the work
of the hole opening enters the front of the process of grinding. Because
it was possible to do because it cut down and the shape of the jewel that
went up was limited to globular, the Natsume type, and the oval, etc. though
it was a loincloth around the hole. Tools and the material used for the
above-mentioned each process almost become complete.
The tools to polish gems :Wakasa-Agate is valuable as material that shows
a part of the processing technology of the jewel of our country to say
nothing of the processing technology of the agate in the wakasa provinces.