熊野郵便局 (Kumano Post Office) Fukeiin - Kumano-cho, Hiroshima

After I finished sending some postcards at Hachihonmatsu Post Office (you can read about it here), we headed to our next destination. Since my husband was driving that day, I chose an area that was difficult for me to reach by public transport alone. I chose Kumano-cho, as the town was not served by any trains. This was my first time in Kumano-cho, and I didn't know much about it beyond its brushes. New area unlocked!

About Kumano-cho, Hiroshima

Kumano-cho is located in a small field basin surrounded by mountains. It's surrounded by Hiroshima-shi, Kure-shi, and Higashihiroshima-shi. At present, among its population of over 24,500, 2,500 people are craftsmen called "Fude-shi" engaged in Fude manufacturing. 

The Fude Center building has a giant brush lol

The history of Kumano-cho dates back to the Edo Period in the late 18th century. People in Kumano had a hard time making a living just from farming, partly because there wasn't much flat land for agriculture. They started purchasing Fude and sumi ink from Nara and reselling them during the agricultural off-season. That was the beginning of the close relationship between the town of Kumano and Fude. With the daimyo's encouragement, the people of Kumano began to learn the skills of fude-making. Fude craftsmen from Nara were invited to teach, while some Kumano people also went to Nara, Arima, or Hyogo to learn Fude craftsmanship. 
Post-WWII, the people of Kumano began producing Fude not only for calligraphy but also for painting and makeup. In 1975, the Fude of Kumano was designated as one of the Japanese traditional crafts by the Japanese government. 

Kumayaki

On the way to the post office, I saw a sign that said 'Kumayaki' and was intrigued, so we took a quick stop. Kumayaki is a local delicacy at Kumano-cho. The Japanese-style pie features a bottom crust and an almond dough exterior, encasing a fragrant, sweet bean paste filling with "fudemame" beans. "Fudemame" refers to black beans. In this town, black beans are called "fudemame" because of the Kumano Fude. You can buy Kumayaki at Kopeck, a local confectionery. If you're a Japanese taxpayer, you can also use your ふるさと納税 (tax return) on Kumayaki. We bought some Kumayaki to enjoy at home and continued on to the Kumano post office. 

Kopeck, where you can find Kumayaki

Kumano Post Office


Although Kumano-cho is not served by any train lines, you can reach the Kumano post office by taking the bus from Hiroshima Station (around once every hour) or by taking a bus from Yano Station (around once every hour) and getting off at the Kumano Daisan Shogakko (Kumano Daisan Elementary School) bus stop. From there, you still need to walk around 1 km to reach the post office. By car, it's about 30-40 minutes from Hiroshima. I planned to send two postcards from this post office: one to Sri Lanka and one to Germany. As usual, I took a picture at the mailbox and bought a postcard to write my own address on before requesting the officer to put the fukeiin and post them. I hope all of them reach their new homes safely. 

Since I had come all the way to Kumano-cho, it would be a waste to visit only one post office, wouldn't it? Time to head to the next post office for some fukeiin!


Kumano Post Office Fukeiin 


My postcard with the fukeiin arrived a few days later. It has the image of a brush, a shrine, and... a boat? Kumano-cho is nowhere near the sea, though?
From the Japan Post official website: "The fukeiin depicts Kumano Shrine and a Higan boat and features Kumano brushes." The fukeiin was launched on September 1st, 1984. 彼岸船 (Higan boat) is one of the highlights of Fude Matsuri. Fude Matsuri is held every year around the autumn equinox (also known as Higan in Japan) in September in Kumano-cho to express gratitude to the pioneers of Fude-making. The festival looks interesting, and I hope I can experience it this year. 

I'll see you all on my next fukeiin adventure!


Cheers,

Mulic

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