身在日本，假如想物色傳統類的居家用品，就必須認著路上寫有「荒物」二字的店招牌。漢字「荒」在日語中，指的是粗糙的、原始的與未經啄磨的物事，而把「荒物」二字連綴起來時，其實就是雜貨、山貨等尋常日用品的意思。
成立於1944年，松野屋是一家開業逾半世紀的荒物店，專賣由職人製作的樸素用具，當中包含竹片、木頭和茅草等素材的製品；其品牌名聲遠播，從倫敦的Labour and Wait、到巴黎的merci，都可以發現松野屋商品的蹤影。而在店裡令人眼花撩亂的荒物品項之中，既有松野屋的原創商品，同時也有與其他職人店家合作的系列；其範圍遍及全國，集合了眾多由優秀職人所設計的生活用品。
以上頭出現的品項為例，分別是和式掃把（東京風格）、竹籃、採買用竹籃、竹飯桶和鍋墊等；均是荒物商店中最常見、也是一般日本家庭經常使用的品項。而假設你對設計者及工藝本身感到好奇，你甚至可以從松野屋的商品網頁上，連結到該品項的介紹頁面，從工藝上使用的技術與素材，以及職人的背景和歷史都悉數收錄在內，內容之翔實，猶如是一冊日本的工藝地圖。
Okura
香港中環善慶街1號地鋪
If you are in Japan and are looking for traditional household items, you must not miss out on street signboards containing the two kanji or Chinese characters “荒物” (aramono). In Japanese, the kanji “荒“ is used to describe rough, original, or unrefined objects. Combined with the character “物“, it means ordinary items for everyday use, including general products and “mountain articles”.
Established in 1944, Matsutoya is an aramono store boasting more than half a century in history, specializing in ordinary tools made by craftsmen, including products made from bamboo chips, wood or thatch grass. World renowned, their products can be found as far as in Labour and Wait in London and merci in Paris. Among its dazzling range of products are Matsunoya’s original products as well as collections manufactured in collaboration with external artisans. Thanks to its reach across the whole country, it boasts lifestyle products designed by a good many exceptional artisans.
For example, the products shown above, are respectively Japanese broom (Tokyo style), bamboo basket, bamboo basket for shopping, bamboo rice bucket, and pot stand. All are products most commonly found in aramono stores as well as regularly used by ordinary Japanese households. If you are curious about the designers and the craft involved, you can even browse the homepage for Matsunoya’s products and click on to the introduction pages of each product, where you can find information from skills and materials involved in the craft process to background and history of artisans. So detailed and accurate is the content that it reads like a book mapping the crafts across Japan.
Okura
G/F, 1 Shin Hing Street, Central, Hong Kong
