The Amazing People of Kumagawa-juku: Woodcarver and part-time ninja Yuichi Niino

If you take a walk through the streets of Kumagawa-juku, you'll see plenty of akiya or abandoned homes, but among them stands a 150 year old home that has a litter box for stray cats outside the front entrance. This is the atelier of master woodcarver Yuichi Niino, his employee Mogi Yoshimasa, and his apprentice of 3 years Haruka Yokoyama. However, Yuichi, just like the building, has more to him than meets the eye.

It all started in 1998 in Toyama when Yuichi began as an apprentice under his then teacher, Tansui Nohara. Formerly Inami Town, now Nanto City is where he studied the craft of woodcarving for 5 years before going solo. Taking what he learned, Yuichi spent the next 7 years in Nanto city creating works for use in various temples and shrines across Japan. One piece that he holds in high regard is called "Kaerumata" or frog legs as a direct translation. It is a structural piece that holds the weight of beams or rafters and is often a decorated work of art. This particular piece is apart of the Zenshukuji Buddhist temple in Aichi prefecture.

蟇股 (カエルマタ) frog legs

He moved from Toyama to southern Fukui prefecture to help take care of his mother, but soon found an akiya within Kumagawa-juku, for quite cheap, and soon had his current studio up and running. Ever since 2015, Yuichi has been making the people of Kumagawa-juku proud with his work, and he tells me it has much to do with the location. For him, Kumagawa is the perfect place to do woodcarving, because the quiet environment and the style and vibes of old Japanese homes are well suited to his craft. It can be difficult to stay focused when your surroundings don't match your work, not to mention that new floors can be easily damaged. So, when you come visit, make sure to check out his studio but also his showroom, that houses some of his most prized works, but remember that he holds yet another secret hidden within.

Yuichi checking his apprentince's work

One of the most unique aspects about Kumagawa-juku is how all the buildings, new and old are the same style from hundreds of years ago, preserving the atmosphere and giving you something that the big cities cannot - authenticity. Although Yuichi's studio has been renovated, you wouldn't know it without asking and hidden just behind his woodworking studio lies a compact but complete ninja dojo, full with ninja tools, traps, and gear to give you the full experience of what it was like to be a ninja in Japan.

After arriving in Kumagawa-juku in 2015, Yuichi met a friend who happened to be a relative of a professional who teaches the way of the ninja. This teacher lives in the next town over from Kumagawa-juku, Wakasa town, and has studied ninja techniques for over 70 years. Yuichi's desire and passion to learn about and study ninja and their techniques began the moment he met this teacher. Interestingly, when Yuichi told me that he studied under a different teacher, closer to his own age, I couldn't believe that there were this many ninja practioners so close to Kumagawa-juku. Apparently, there is a ninja association in Kyoto, that helped Yuichi to grow  not only his own ninja skills but also partially funded the reconstruction of his current dojo, in a similiar style to those from eras past.

Yuicihi Niino's studio

A couple weeks ago I took two hours off work (thanks boss) to experience Yuichi's ninja class for myself, which was familiar to me, as I've practiced kendo for over 7 years.  Before getting your hands dirty, you must don the attire of a ninja, a hakama and an obi, which is the sash used to keep the sheathe from slipping. Once you look the part, training with a katana, or Japanese sword begins. Yuichi's collection is quite large and while some katanas came from Kyoto and other places in Japan, at least a couple were found in the storehouse, just behind his studio. This makes you wonder what other historical treasures are hidden away within the other akiya inside Kumagawa-juku.

In order to use a katana, you must first be able to draw and sheathe it without issue. Even having done kendo for many years, it took a while for me to properly sheathe it, as the angle is quite hard to get right. Once properly handled, together we practiced drawing and cutting down several invisible enemies. For but a second I felt like one of those anime hereoes defeating evil with a single slash of my blade. Anyway, afterwards I practiced walking like a ninja and all the while learning about the history of everything from ninjas in general to the differences in dojos and more. I am a firm believer in learning about history through direct participation.

Walking like a ninja

Finally came the dreaded shuriken throwing challenge. I use the word dreaded because when I played baseball as a kid and asked my coach to let me try pitcher, he indulged me that one time and never did again. However, I digress, and Yuichi has an assortment of real ninja tool like the kunai, which can be used as a weapon but also for eating, for gardening, and for climbing. For guests that are interested, you can have a shot at throwing several tools to see how many you can stick. I would ask you all to not ask him how many I correctly threw, as its not something I'm particularly proud of.

When you visit Kumagawa-juku make sure to take advantage of the opportunity to work with Yuichi and make your own wood carving or get a picture of you and your friends wielding a real katana from hundreds of years ago, after you've mastered being a ninja. Kumagawa-juku offers so much more than meets the eye, if you only take the time to look.

My ninja experience and shuriken challenge certificates! Thank you Yuichi Niino 🙂

For those interested in his ninja or woodcarving experiences or if you just wanna talk with him about cats, check him out at the following links!

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/yuuichi.niino/

Ninja Dojo: https://www.ninjakushu.com/

Woodcarving: https://www.niinochoukoku.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jinbu.kumagawa

Or feel free to contact me at walker@dekita-tokyo.com and I can help you get in touch!

If you participate in his ninja experience, you'll have the chance to wear this headgear from 1351!

Armor from the mid 1300s