Nestled in the middle of a prefectural capital and two other major cities, the town of Kumano appears as an unassuming blip on maps of Hiroshima. But make no mistake: Kumano's reputation extends far beyond its borders, giving this small, commuter town as much flavor and history as the bigger cities surrounding it.

Dubbed the “brush capital of Japan”, Kumano is famous for the skill of its artisans in making calligraphy brushes. Brushes from this town are known as Kumano-fude (熊野筆, “Kumano brush”), and they make up over 80% of all calligraphy, painting, and makeup brushes made in Japan. Creating one Kumano brush requires years of training and experience, not to mention an intricate production process that involves over 70 steps.

In more recent years, the brush masters of Kumano have branched out from specializing in traditional calligraphy and painting brushes to making brushes for makeup as well. The latest brush product to come out of Kumano is one such example; it’s a collection of makeup brushes depicting some of Peanuts’ most delightful characters.

The Peanuts Kumanofude series has a total of three makeup brush types, each of which uses non-synthetic brush hairs that form the rounded tip that’s typical of Kumano brushes. They all come in a paulownia wood box, embellished with a beautiful natural grain and a simple engraving of the characters.

The first makeup brush is a uniquely-shaped cheek brush (4,070 yen). The brush hair tips have been dyed pink to represent a heart and are contained in a zelkova wood body with an engraving of Snoopy’s sister, Belle.

Next is a thinner eye makeup brush (2,640 yen) featuring Snoopy’s bird best friend, Woodstock. The brush bristles are dyed yellow to match Woodstock’s color from the comics, and the brush’s body has the kind-hearted bird in cheerful dancing poses.

Last but not the least is a kabuki brush (6,600 yen) with bristles that form an image of Snoopy’s smiling face. The handle of the brush is made out of polished cherry wood, and also has an engraving of Woodstock as Snoopy’s Flying Ace mechanic.

The Peanuts Kumanofude makeup brush set is currently available for online pre-orders, and can also be found at the Peanuts LIFE&TIMES store located on the 4th floor of the Nishonomiya Hankyu Department Store.