Lounge
January 7, 2015
Women Weaving Hope for Tomorrow
Hope for Tomorrow, Crafted by Women
Misanga Bracelets of the Shore: "Tamaki"
The people of Sanriku lost so much in an instant to the tsunami. While men engaged in heavy labor like debris removal after the earthquake, the work of the "women of the shore"—who had helped with fish processing and at the fishing huts—disappeared. Now, these "Tamaki" misanga bracelets, woven from fishing nets with hopes for tomorrow, are drawing attention.
Text by YANAKA Tomomi
Of the ¥1100 sales price, ¥576 goes to the women who make them
"Tamaki" began to be made at the call of the "Sanriku ni Shigoto! Project" (Project for Jobs in Sanriku), which supports employment creation, self-reliance, and finding purpose for those who lost their jobs due to the disaster. Currently, about 300 women from areas heavily damaged by the tsunami, such as Rikuzentakata, Kamaishi, Ofunato, Yamada, and Otsuchi in Iwate Prefecture, and Minamisanriku and Ishinomaki in Miyagi Prefecture, continue to craft them one by one by hand.
The "women of the shore" lost their jobs, which were their livelihood, source of joy, and purpose, to the tsunami. This project began to provide them with income through handicraft. "Tamaki" are sold as a set of two: one wide and one thin misanga. Of the ¥1100 sales price, ¥576 goes to the women who make them, after deducting material costs, sales expenses, and other overhead. Furthermore, about ¥150 per set is paid to local individuals and companies who support the makers by cutting the fishing nets, and the fishing nets themselves are also made in Sanriku. This system, with its focus on Sanriku, ensures that money circulates within the local community.
The misanga, combining a textured white linen cord with a crimson fishing net, now comes in colors beyond white for the linen cord, including pink and green. You can choose your favorite color or enjoy them as casual accessories to match your outfits.
Other Organizations Offer Support
HEARTS BRIDGE, an organization that auctions items donated by celebrities who support their cause to aid disaster-stricken areas and developing countries, also endorses the "Sanriku ni Shigoto! Project." HEARTS BRIDGE has purchased 1000 "Tamaki" bracelets for their reconstruction support activity, "What We Can Do Now," to deliver aid to the affected regions.
"Tamaki" is also the ancient Japanese term for bracelet. These misanga, woven by the women of the shore with each stitch imbued with hope and wishes for Sanriku's reconstruction, have become a "link" connecting the disaster-stricken areas with us.
Sanriku ni Shigoto! Project
http://www.sanriku-shigoto-project.com