KEEPING THE FLAME ALIVE

Hundreds of years ago in Edo Period Japan, before electricity had even been imagined, people's worlds were illuminated by pine or rape-seed oil lamps. Unimaginable as it may be to people today, candles were very expensive items in the Edo Period, and were therefore only used by the samurai class in times of celebration, such as weddings, or displayed on Buddhist altars. The candles, decorated with beautiful painted flowers, were considered something of a luxury compared to the oil lamps used in daily life.

The craft of hand-painted candles, or e-rosoku, is thought to have originated from China, and was supposedly brought over to Japan by priests. As people travelled throughout the country, this knowledge was transmitted to a number of regions. Today, the art is mainly centred in the Iwate, Kyushu, Kagoshima and Aizu districts, although it is also experiencing something of a revival in southern Japan. Although the colour, shape and design of e-rosoku differ from region to region, the characteristic they all share is the brightly coloured flowers which are delicately painted onto the surface of each candle. Decorated with seasonal blooms such as plum blossoms, tree peonies, chrysanthemums and camellias, the candles enabled the Edo Period upper-class to enjoy flowers all year round.

In Fukushima Prefecture, the making of hand-painted candles commenced in Aizu some five hundred years ago, during the time of Aizu clan leader Ujisato Gamo. Aizu candles are characterised by their elegant, curved shape and bright flowers painted on a white background. Once a booming business, today there are only three e-rosoku-making establishments remaining in the region. One of these is owned by Tetsuji Ozawa, who represents the seventh generation of candle-makers in his family. With thirty years of experience behind him, Mr. Ozawa is one of the few artisans left in the region with the skills to keep the art of e-rosoku alive.

As a child, Mr. Ozawa would watch family members making candles at home. Although never taught formally, he was given the responsibility of carrying on the family tradition soon after graduating from high school, when his father passed away. Recalling his childhood observations, he soon mastered the complicated art, and continued producing the hand-made, hand-painted candles which are the trademark of the Ozawa Candle Shop. The candles can vary from 15 to 36 centimetres in length, with a batch of 200 to 300 small candles generally taking ten days to make.

Throughout the years, Mr. Ozawa has passed on his skills to his assistants, but stresses that the art of making e-rosoku cannot be learnt from a book. Each step of the process, from the winding of the wicks to the temperature of the wax must be determined by the season and the materials used. As the variables change from day to day, the judgment of the craftsman is paramount.

Today, these beautiful and unique hand-painted candles are no longer out of the price range of the common folk, and are often bought as souvenirs by people visiting the Aizu region. Thanks to artisans like Tetsuji Ozawa, who are fighting to save Aizu's local traditional arts, the colourful Aizu e-rosoku will continue to burn on for some time yet.