Good things about Kesennuma (from a veteran immigrant who has lived here for 27 years) Part 3

In this corner, we will have a Kesennuma resident appear as our teacher. Our teacher this time is Hiroyasu Yamauchi, director of the Rias Ark Museum of Art. Yamauchi, a "veteran immigrant" who has lived in Kesennuma for 27 years, will talk about the charms of Kesennuma and the reasons for continuing to live there, under the theme of "The Good Things About Kesennuma."
Thank you very much, Professor Yamauchi!

Kesennuma's treasures and unique people

At some point, the guys at Slow Food Kesennuma started calling me "Tensai Yama-chan," and they were in fact a star team filled with many times more vitality than I was. They were fishmongers, sake brewers, oil makers, electricians, chefs, and many other guys with a wide variety of skills from a wide variety of trades, and I was chasing after their grand dream of town development that they were trying to realize.
When I first moved to Kesennuma, I was worried that the rough coastal nature of the area and its lack of concern for culture and the arts would try to crush the existence of the museum, but in reality this was not the case at all. It may be surprising, but there are many people in the port town of Kesennuma who are enthusiastic about artistic activities.

▲Fishing boats moored in Kesennuma Bay.

For example, crew members of ocean-going tuna fishing boats sometimes visit art museums to kill time when they dock in foreign ports. Museums are recommended because they can be enjoyed even if you can't read or understand the language. Kesennuma has many former fishermen who have had such experiences, and many of them paint their own pictures, which is why I believe the museum was created.
In the port town of Kesennuma, the head chef of a sushi restaurant is actually an art collector and oil painter, the uncle of a farmer is actually a professional photographer, a government employee publishes a poetry magazine, a broker in front of the fish market is the head of a local art group and a painter, the proprietress of a rice shop has started a large theater company, a stylish coffee shop has become a mecca for Kesennuma jazz musicians, and in short, it is a "rich" town crammed with people engaged in cultural activities.

▲A symposium at the Kesennuma Slow Food Festival 2007 Winter.

Kesennuma has long been a place of hospitality for sailors calling at the port, and there were many people who made a living through the arts. There are also sake breweries that serve delicious sake. There are also carpenters who have mastered the specialized woodworking techniques required for shipbuilding. There are also bamboo artisans who make the bamboo products essential to the fishing industry, blacksmiths who make fishing equipment, dye shops that dye fishing flags and fishing kanban banners, and more. I believe that craftsmanship that has been built up around the sea and the artistic sense to appreciate it are deeply rooted in Kesennuma. At the same time, the people of the coast are also strong.
Kesennuma, where rugby is popular, has produced players who represent Japan. Martial arts such as judo and karate are also popular. My friend who runs a coffee shop in Kesennuma is the largest person in Kesennuma as far as I know, and is also a former rugby player. Also, a fishmonger in the inner bay area with arms as thick as logs is a judo and karate black belt, an arm wrestling champion, and a Japanese powerlifting ranker. The oil shop owner is from a famous university baseball team in the Tokyo Big Six Baseball League. A sake brewer who looks smart apparently played ice hockey in college. In any case, Kesennuma is a town where people with a lot of enthusiasm come together to "build the town."

Kesennuma is a port town where macho, skillful men and smart, cheerful women live; if you just describe it like that, there may be no need to go into detail about its charms.

Many people who come from other towns, like me, are charmed by the wonderful people and end up becoming addicted to Kesennuma. There are many people like me who are "addicted" to Kesennuma. In particular, people who visited here after the Great East Japan Earthquake in 2011 unanimously told many stories praising the extremely interesting Kesennuma people. Even from the perspective of an outsider like me, not the bias of a local resident, the people of Kesennuma are interesting. In fact, even famous people who have been active worldwide are charmed by the Kesennuma people. And what's great is that in the last 10 years, the number of young people who want to share their future with such unique people has increased significantly. All of these are Kesennuma's assets and treasures.

(to be continued……)
This article will be divided into four parts.
"Good things about Kesennuma (from a veteran immigrant who has lived here for 27 years)"
Part 1: "Encounter with Kesennuma"
Part 2: "The entrance to the deep world of Kesennuma"
Part 4: "Conclusion: 10 years on, back to beloved Kesennuma"

We will have Kesennuma citizens appear as teachers.
You can view the "Teach me, Mr./Ms. XX!" series here.

https://kesennuma-kanko.jp/category/marumarusensei/

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Person who wrote this article

Hiroyasu Yamauchi

Hiroyasu Yamauchi Born in Ishinomaki, Miyagi Prefecture in 1971. Curator at the Rias Ark Museum of Art since 1994 (currently director of the museum/resident of Kesennuma). Since 1994, he has held numerous solo and group exhibitions as an artist. He has also participated in numerous stage productions as a stage designer and costume designer. Winner of the Miyagi Prefectural Art Encouragement Prize New Artist Award (art/sculpture/Miyagi Prefecture) in 15; Winner of the Tanahashi Prize in 29 (Japan Museum Association); Director of Slow Food Kesennuma; Director of the Kesennuma City Planning Support Center, a general incorporated association.

• Teach me, teacher
• Kesennuma
• Emigration

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