Hirosaki's art project "Hirosaki Tokeikai" began selling "Ponpon T-shirts" on June 1st using a sponge stamp that prints shipping information for apples.

The art project launched by Takehide Tarusawa of "Next Commons Lab Hirosaki (NCL Hirosaki)" with the concept of "finding old and new Hirosaki". NCL Hirosaki is an organization that works in collaboration with Hirosaki City for the purpose of business expansion utilizing local resources. Mr. Tarusawa participated in December 2019 and made a U-turn in Hirosaki for the first time in about 20 years.

"Ponpon" is a stamp made to mark the variety and grade on a cardboard box for packing apples. The name "Ponpon" is nicknamed because it is stamped with "Ponpon", and it is also called "rubber stamp" in the industry.

"Ponpon" was developed by Tadatoshi Kimura, the fourth generation of Sanshodo stamp store (Ichibancho, Hirosaki City), which was founded in 1894. Kimura, who saw the trouble of painting the shipping information on a wooden box of apples using a template in the 1960s, developed it as a stamp that is easy to print and has excellent durability, and it became a big hit product.

Mr. Tarusawa said, "Ponpon's fonts, which have become commonplace tools in the local area, are handmade and have a warmth. When I read the culture, I became addicted to the depth."

We sell three types of products: "Arranged bag", "Mold packed" and "Denki". The words have been adapted to the cultivation and shipping of apples. "Marinated bag" indicates the cultivation method to protect apples from harmful insects, and "mold packed" refers to the packaging material for apples. "Electronic refrigeration" is an abbreviation for "electric refrigeration" and is said to be a stamp showing the latest technology in the era when home refrigerators were not popular. "There are also "Pumpon" such as "No bag" of bagless cultivation for "Arubukuro", "Excellent" and "Special selection" that represent quality, and I want to increase the lineup," says Mr. Tarusawa.

The characters on the T-shirt are foamed prints to give the impression of unevenness on the stamp. Oversized T-shirt only available in M and L sizes. Only for the first shipment, we will present an original name tag made from scraps of apple.

Mr. Tarusawa said, "It's a technical term for apples, but it's fun to wear "Aribukuro" for a boxed girl, for example, but it doesn't convey the meaning, but it's also fun as a character." If it's an opportunity to let people know," he smiles.

The price is 5,500 yen. The place of sale is the museum shop in "CAFE & RESTAURANT BRICK" (Yoshinocho, TEL 0172-40-2775 ) adjacent to the Hirosaki Brick Warehouse Museum.