Public HakanaGe is created on my personal blackboard. It is not affiliated with any organization or group. This is simply my personal enjoyment.
HakanaGe is
HakanaGe is a piece drawn on a blackboard set up on the outer wall of a home by a resident born in Onomichi.
HakanaGe is not affiliated with any local revitalization efforts or community organizations; it exists outside of such influences. It is purely a personal joy in which the owner illustrates a self-designed story.
Why would someone share such a personal joy publicly? The answer is simple: it cannot be kept indoors. It is the same mindset as displaying a home garden to the public.
If someone enjoys seeing it, that brings joy to the creator. The hope is also that it becomes a small inspiration for children heading off to school each day.
However, that is merely a by-product of the creative motivation.
Just like a flowerbed on the corner of a house might catch your eye, I hope this catches yours as well.
HakanaGe is a Story Told Through Eight Scenes Over a Year
Each scene progresses toward completion once started, and sometimes the story within a scene unfolds over time.
The owner does not reveal the full scope of HakanaGe’s story. It exists only in the memories of those who happen to pass by.
Each scene is erased upon completion.
We know that everyday scenery holds great value.
HakanaGe might serve as a small reminder of that truth.
About the Creation and Technique
HakanaGe is drawn by the owner on Saturday and Sunday mornings, or during late nights and early mornings on weekdays.
As it is drawn with dry chalk, it cannot be produced on days with high humidity.
About the Name and Materials
When HakanaGe began, terms like “chalk art (
チョークアート
)” or “blackboard art (黒板アート
)” did not yet exist in the world.The owner named this nameless art “HakanaGe.”
The owner has never studied such techniques formally, but instead expresses skills developed through years of accumulated experience.
HakanaGe is drawn with oil-free dry chalk.(The chalk is not oil pastel, but powdery dry chalk.)
Because of this, it is highly powdery and shares characteristics similar to makeup.
The condition of the powder changes depending on the surface and the season, and the material is in constant flux.
Since the powder scatters in the wind, the artwork cannot be preserved for long periods.
The Starting Point of HakanaGe
The starting point of HakanaGe was a storefront blackboard used to attract customers to a lifestyle goods store in 1993.
Later, unrelated drawings began to appear on it, and even after the store stopped selling lifestyle goods, the blackboard continued to be used and gradually grew larger.
With the help of someone dear to the owner, the blackboard reached its current size.
Occasionally, banknotes were thrown onto the blackboard, making it difficult to distinguish between lost items and intentional offerings, which caused some trouble—so the owner began selling small versions of HakanaGe.
As they were well received, the owner found it interesting and expanded the lineup to include items like postcards.
As of 2024, a small quantity is also available for sale in Tokyo.
