I used to apply face powder with an inexpensive, unbranded puff.
While working as a magazine editor, I learned about Kumano Fude—brushes made in Kumano, Hiroshima Prefecture, using techniques passed down through generations. Wanting to try a well-made makeup brush, I bought myself a large powder brush.
The brush looked full, with enough resilience to seem firm. Yet when I moved it over my skin, it felt much softer than I had expected—gentle, with a feather-light touch.
It felt smooth against my skin and glided so easily that I found myself wanting to keep moving it over my face.
I could apply the powder evenly, and the finish looked clean. Compared with my old puff, the feel against my skin, the way the powder went on, and the finish all seemed different.
I have used the brush ever since. Caring for it has not been especially difficult; it has become an everyday makeup tool.
Chikuhodo is a makeup-brush workshop based in Kumano, a town in Aki District, Hiroshima Prefecture.
Founded by Tesshyu Takemori, a fudeshi, or master brushmaker, Chikuhodo sources selected natural hair from around the world. Skilled craftspeople make its brushes individually. The company says its makeup brushes draw on brush-tip techniques used in Japanese painting and calligraphy, where control of the tip makes fine, flowing lines possible.
According to Chikuhodo, Tesshyu was among the first brushmakers to bring gray-squirrel-hair makeup brushes to market.
The brush I bought is a flat-round powder and cheek brush made with 100% Sokouhou goat hair. Sokouhou is especially fine, soft hair from a mountain goat’s chest.
When I apply face powder, I move the black bristles along my skin. They feel much softer than their fullness and resilience suggest. My hand keeps moving over my skin for just a little longer.