The abacus was introduced to Otsu from China via Nagasaki around the end of the Muromachi period.
It is said that BANSHU Soroban (Abacus) originated during the Azuchi-Momoyama period when residents who fled to Otsu during Toyotomi Hideyoshi's siege of Miki Castle learned abacus techniques and began manufacturing them upon returning to their hometown. Production peaked at 3.6 million units in 1960, but demand has since declined with the advent of calculators.

• Technology/techniques/raw materials

  Technology/techniques/raw materials

  Technology/techniques

  1. Drying shall be carried out by the following techniques or methods:
  (1) In the case of logs, they must be air-dried for at least six months in their raw state, and for at least one day in their rough state.
  (2) The shaft material shall be air-dried for at least one month in its bamboo state, and for at least one day in its raw strip state.
  (3) For frame materials, the logs shall be air-dried for at least six months, and the cut timbers shall be air-dried for at least six months. In this case, the cut timbers shall be air-dried by stacking them in a pile.

   

  2. The ball-making process shall be carried out using the following techniques or methods:
  (1) To perform "surface shaping," "edge cutting," and "surface pressing."
  (2) After "hole drilling," polish the wood using ibotarou.
  (3) When using Onoore as a bead material, use the "Akabuto" portion and dye it using Bengara and Komeitan.

   

  3. The construction of the shaft shall be carried out using the following techniques or methods:
  (1) When preparing the shaft material, leave the "soft skin" portion and then "strip" it.
  (2) When using bamboo other than smoked bamboo as the shaft material, it should be steamed and then dyed.

   

  4. The frame construction shall be carried out using the following techniques or methods:
  (1) Add eyelets.
  (2) The top surface of the frame should be rounded.
  (3) The back of the frame should be carved out using a carving knife.
  (4) The joints of the left and right frames shall be made using either "round thin" or "scale thin" for the upper frame, and "scale thin" for the lower frame.
  (5) The frame should be polished using horsetail and hackberry leaves.

   

  5. Assembly shall be carried out using the following techniques or methods:
  (1) The upper and lower frames should be placed together in a "bow-over" manner.
  (2) Perform "bamboo fastening," "back rod fastening," "corner fastening," and "positioning point fastening."

   

  raw materials

  1. The lumber shall be made of Japanese holly, boxwood, or Ilex crenata, or lumber of equivalent quality.

  2. The main material shall be moso bamboo.

  3. The frame material shall be made of ebony, red oak, or birch, or material of equivalent quality.

   

• Work scene

  Work scene

  To make an abacus, you must first prepare the materials. These are the three materials: the frame, the beads, and the shaft, and each is made in a different factory.

  Step 1: Making the frame

  The frames are made from ebony wood imported from Africa and Indonesia. The wood is split at the sawmill, then cut into planks, and then further cut into smaller pieces to fit each section.

  Step 2: Bead making

  They primarily use a type of birch called Onoorekanba, which is said to be so hard that it can break an axe, but for high-end products, they also use boxwood, ebony, and rosewood. The logs are cut into slices, punched out into a round shape, and then further shaped into beads.

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  Step 3: Shaft making

  The material used is moso bamboo, and for higher-quality items, smoked bamboo is used. The bamboo is cut to size, split into small pieces, processed into round strips, and then polished to finish.

  <Assembly>
  The assembled materials are then delivered to the craftsmen, and the assembly begins.

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  Step 4: Frame processing

  Frame processing (drilling holes in the frame board)
  First, the top, bottom, left, and right frame boards are planed smooth and grooves and holes are cut into them. These will be the holes for the shafts, the holes for the backing rods, and the grooves for the backing boards. Next, the backing boards are made from the boards intended for the backing boards. Then, holes are cut into the beams that go between the top and bottom frames to create holes for the bamboo shafts. Grooves are carved into these beams and filled with celluloid. Bamboo strips are also cut to prepare the shafts. Finally, tenons are made so that the frames can be assembled, and they are temporarily put together.

  

  Step 5: Inserting the shaft and setting the beads

  Insert the shaft into the beam.

  

  Bead insertion (insert the beads into the shaft)

  

  工程6： 組み立て

  assembly
  Once the beads are in place, attach the bottom frame, the right frame, the back plate, and the back rod to assemble the piece.

  

  Step 7: Drilling holes for securing the bamboo eyelets, backing rods, and corners.

  Drill holes in the top and bottom frames for securing the back rod, the bamboo shaft, and the corners. After drilling the holes, insert aluminum wire and cut it with scissors. This will firmly secure the back rod, shaft, and left and right frames, making the abacus more durable.

  工程8： 磨き

  Finally, we carefully polish the frame.
  After cutting the wire, sand it down. For the final touch, rub it with sandpaper or a hackberry leaf to polish it. This gives it a shine and completes the process.

  

   

• Close-up

  Close-up

  The abacus will continue to thrive, albeit through a transformation in its nature.

  The abacus has disappeared from our lives due to the widespread use of calculators. However, the abacus continues to stubbornly survive, with its merits being re-evaluated more than ever before. We asked Kazuhiro Miyamoto, a traditional craftsman with 40 years of experience in this field, about the merits of the abacus.

   

  At its peak, production reached 3.6 million units per year.

  "It's unthinkable now. In 1960, five years after I started making abacuses, we were producing 3.6 million abacuses in Ono," recalls Mr. Miyamoto. At that time, there were 350 factories (albeit family-run) in Ono City, boasting the highest production volume in Japan. Since the advent of calculators in the 1960s, that number has continued to decline, and now there are only 50 factories, with production down to around 450,000 abacuses. Although the number has decreased, Mr. Miyamoto smiles as he says, "There are people all over Japan who specifically request my abacuses." These are people with a particular attachment to abacuses due to their profession, such as abacus school owners and accountants. Why do people still use abacuses today?

  

  Traditional craft abacus

  A craft item that shows attention to detail: the abacus

  "Do you know what the small holes in the top and bottom frames of the abacus are for?" I was asked, and I paused to think. They were holes for securing the bamboo joints, the backing rods, and the corners, but I couldn't help but be impressed when I heard their purpose. "These are holes drilled from the frame board into the bamboo joints and backing rods, into which aluminum wire is inserted. You aim at the thin bamboo joint and drill a hole in the middle of the bamboo. Once the aluminum wire is inserted there, the frame board and the bamboo joint are fixed in place." I was truly surprised that such small holes held such great significance. It made perfect sense why abacuses are so sturdy. Mr. Miyamoto showed me the "eight types of sandpaper (from coarse to fine)," "whelk," and "hackberry leaves" that he uses for finishing. He meticulously polishes them with these. He also mentioned that he rubs them with natural white wax to give them a shine. Truly, meticulous attention to detail is paid to every last detail. "Something like this happened," Mr. Miyamoto began. "When I was giving a demonstration of abacus making in Yokohama some time ago, I gave an abacus to a child who came to watch. Several years later, I happened to meet that child at an abacus competition in Kobe. When he said, 'Your abacus is easy to use, and I still use it even now that I've reached the first dan level,' I've never been happier," Miyamoto said with deep emotion. "My policy is to make abacuses that are easy for the user to use. I never cut corners. If I'm not feeling well, I won't make any," he said, expressing his strong passion for abacus making. The abacuses he makes are easy to use, the beads move smoothly, they are beautiful, and they truly have high value as works of art.

  • 

    The adjustment of the beads and shafts is crucial.

  • 

    Miyamoto checks the finished product.

  The abacus is ideal for education.

  Beyond its value as a craft, the abacus is perfectly suited as an educational tool. "I wonder if the reason today's children are weak at mental arithmetic is because they don't use the abacus much," says Mr. Miyamoto. In fact, using the abacus is highly effective. Moving the fingers stimulates the brain and speeds up mental agility. It provides a clear understanding of number theory, the meaning of digits, and the decimal system. It fosters concentration and perseverance, makes people more proactive and mentally stronger—it's all good. Even in the IT age, the abacus will likely become increasingly important. The abacuses made by Mr. Miyamoto are waiting to be used by many people.

  

  Mr. Miyamoto is full of enthusiasm to continue making abacuses in the future.

  Craftsman Profile

  Kazuhiro Miyamoto

  Born in 1940
  Having worked in this field for 45 years, he travels throughout Japan and even overseas to give demonstrations in order to promote the use of the abacus.

  Anecdotes

  Transformation from calculation tools to educational materials

  The history of the abacus is ancient, dating back to Mesopotamia in 3000 BC. It was introduced to Japan from China during the Muromachi period (1500s) and was used as a calculating tool for a long time afterward. However, the abacus faced the threat of extinction due to the influence of the calculator. We spoke with former chairman Itsuji Naito, who overcame that crisis and continues to dedicate himself to promoting the abacus.

  ◆The arch-nemesis, the calculator, has appeared.

  "At its peak (around 1960), Ono City alone produced 3.6 million abacuses annually, and there were 350 factories," says Mr. Naito. However, the tremendous spread of calculators in the 1960s caused a sharp decline in abacus production. The introduction of the consumption tax further damaged the industry. "I predict that production in 2001 will be around 450,000," predicts Mr. Fujiwara. While it has certainly decreased drastically, it hasn't disappeared completely and is stubbornly surviving. Why is that?

  ◆It can be used as educational material.

  "If it hadn't been used as teaching material in elementary schools, it might have completely disappeared," says Mr. Naito. The actual demand is almost entirely for use as educational material in schools. For over 25 years, Mr. Naito and his colleagues have been advocating for the abacus not merely as a calculation tool, but as an indispensable teaching material for developing children's abilities. The Ministry of Education's curriculum guidelines influence its use as teaching material, but how has this changed? Until the early 1960s, abacus lessons were conducted for three years, from fourth to sixth grade. However, the 1970 curriculum guidelines changed it to two grades, third and fourth grade. Then, in the 1980 curriculum guidelines, "relaxed education" was advocated, and it was stated that "use an abacus or calculator," and only third graders had eight hours of lessons per year. "The wording at the time was like this: it was necessary for third graders, but desirable for fourth graders. It didn't say that they had to do it. In the end, it was only for third graders," Mr. Naito says regretfully. Next is the 1992 curriculum guidelines. Everyone thought the curriculum would be reduced even further, but surprisingly, it was reduced back to just two grades: third and fourth grade. "We believe our long-standing petitions have finally reached the Ministry of Education," said Naito with deep emotion. The next revision of the curriculum guidelines is in 2002. The two women passionately expressed their hope that the following two points would be considered: "introduction from the second grade" and "removal of calculations using calculators and replacement with calculations using abacuses."

  ◆The benefits of the abacus

  "The abacus is extremely effective for learning the concept of numbers and developing a sense of counting. Calculators are certainly convenient, but they simply give you the answer, and you often don't notice when you make a mistake. It's said that the high level of mental arithmetic ability among Japanese people is thanks to the abacus, and I want modern people to reconsider the merits of the abacus that they have forgotten," says Mr. Naito. In fact, using the fingers to use the abacus is said to be effective in activating the brain. It is said to be particularly effective in activating the right brain. It has also been proven that the abacus is effective in developing concentration. The benefits of the abacus are also being recognized in other countries. In the United States, the "American Abacus Center" was established as early as 1978, and abacus education is being taught to public elementary and junior high schools. It is said that more than 1,000 schools have received instruction so far, and an estimated 100,000 people are learning the abacus. Abacus competitions are also held in six cities, including Los Angeles, San Francisco, and New York. In Brazil, where there is a large Japanese-Brazilian population, the number of people using the abacus is increasing, and abacus education is being implemented in elementary and junior high schools, Japanese language schools, and Japanese trading companies and banks. Abacus education is also practiced in many other countries, including the UK, India, Hungary, Finland, and New Zealand. Of course, abacuses are exported from Japan to these countries. Perhaps one day the benefits of the abacus will be re-imported from abroad to Japan. Energetic efforts within Japan, led by people like Mr. Naito, will continue. For the education of children. For the future of Japan.

  <Profile of Itsuji Naito>

  He served as the chairman of the Banshu Abacus Craft Cooperative Association for 16 years starting in 1974. During that time, he represented the association in applying for and obtaining designation as a traditional craft and in negotiations with the Ministry of Education. From January to March 2001, "abacus making" workshops were held at six of the city's eight elementary schools, and he provided assembly instruction at that time. He continues to work energetically to promote the use of the abacus.

  • 

    A giant abacus advertising tower (9m long, 4m wide)

  • 

    abacus competition tournament

  • 

    Mr. Naito continues to dedicate himself to promoting the use of the abacus.