I've always wanted to live surrounded by natural materials. Gradually, I've been able to furnish my space with furniture and daily items, collecting pieces made of materials I love. Whilst everyone's sense of comfort differs, those drawn to natural materials often find themselves collecting baskets.
Their generous nature—accepting all manner of items whilst providing tasteful concealment—makes them rather dependable. Before you know it, you've acquired two or three.
There's quite a variety of baskets, aren't there? Bamboo, akebi vine, rattan, rush grass, wild grape... Each material has its own distinct charm, but today we'll focus on bamboo baskets, newly released this spring by Nakagawa Masashichi Shoten.
When I first saw them, I was utterly captivated by the exquisite precision of the weaving. Upon visiting the production site, I understood precisely what constitutes superior craftsmanship.
Visiting the Bamboo Basket Workshop in the Mountains of Oita Prefecture
When one thinks of bamboo, Beppu City in Oita Prefecture comes to mind. The workshop of Masato Takae of Bamboo Studio Onse lies in the mountains, about 30 minutes' drive from Beppu.
"Since my youth, I've dreamed of living as self-sufficiently as possible, surrounded by nature. I wanted a life close to the soil. Following this dream, I bought land and began by building my own house. Becoming a bamboo craftsman came later, but I've found joy in working with natural materials."
So says Masato Takae, a certified traditional craftsman and head of Bamboo Studio Onse.
Whilst one might imagine basket-weaving involves merely the weaving itself, the lesser-known preparatory processes are quite extensive.
Observing the workshop, one sees it's truly labour-intensive work that involves engaging with nature at every step. In fact, preparing the materials takes up nearly half the process.
Splitting the bamboo...
Peeling it...
Thinning it... Between these steps lie numerous detailed tasks like selection and edge-finishing.
"Bamboo has tremendous elasticity, and like people, each piece has its own character. It never quite does what you want. Perhaps that's what makes it interesting—I've managed to stay engaged for nearly 40 years."
His cheerful acceptance of nature's unpredictability is admirable, but the finished storage baskets are simply beautiful. We asked about his particular devotions to the craft.
The Balance of Beauty and Durability
"My primary focuses are visual beauty and durability—ensuring the basket can be used for decades. As I mainly craft basket bags, these are values I've always held dear."
"Whilst bamboo has existed as a material for everyday items throughout human history, its elevation to an art form is uniquely Japanese. The weaving pattern used here is called 'yotsume-ami' (square pattern weaving). It's a simple technique that beautifully showcases bamboo's natural qualities. Though anyone could theoretically master it, creating uniform spacing is surprisingly challenging. There's a saying that 'it begins with four eyes and ends with four eyes', suggesting its profound nature. We've focused on achieving beauty through careful quality control at each step."
"For these storage baskets, we've also emphasised durability so they can be carried whilst loaded. The handles are reinforced with bamboo nails before being wrapped with rattan. We've used thick rattan for added strength. Whilst we can't verify it now, we've built them to last 30 years."
"The basket bags I usually make need to be particularly durable as they're carried about. They take considerable time to produce, and it would be disheartening if they broke quickly after purchase. We design for strength so they can be used with confidence for many years."
This commitment to beauty and durability is most evident in the handles.
"Though it appears to be simply wrapped around, this is actually quite challenging. Bamboo naturally wants to curve due to its elasticity. As these products are square, achieving uniform spacing and straight lines required considerable skill."
"We even created new tools specifically for these baskets. We developed equipment to counter the bamboo's natural tendency to curve, using heat from a hairdryer to achieve sharp angles. Though the basket appears simple, we've crafted various tools just to create it."
Awaiting the Amber Hue: A Lifetime Companion
Working with this challenging material, each storage basket is carefully crafted by artisans with the user's comfort in mind.
Each basket takes about a day to complete. Such time-intensive creations deserve long-term companionship.
Natural materials mature with use, and Mr Takae showed us some examples.
The piece in the upper left is 18 years old. Compared to the new bag in the lower right, you can clearly see how the colour has deepened and developed a lovely patina.
Imagining how these pieces will grow alongside one's daily life makes one rather excited about the future.
Finally, we asked Mr Takae if he had any message for those purchasing his baskets.
"Bamboo is a lifetime material. Please use it until it develops that lovely amber hue."
We hope you'll cherish these "Bamboo Storage Baskets with Handles" for many years to come—pieces that harness natural materials, carefully woven by human hands.
<Profile> Masato Takae: Certified Traditional Craftsman / Head of Bamboo Studio Onse
Driven by a desire to live "close to the soil", he left corporate life to pursue self-sufficiency. For 40 years since, he has crafted bamboo pieces, primarily bags and flower baskets. His workshop has become a notable training ground for young artisans seeking independence.
Text: Eriko Ueda
Photography: Koichiro Fujimoto
