Dia110xH400mm, Japan
Bamboo as a material has been a very well utilised in Japan (and Asia) such that bamboo weaving became a specialized craft. Bamboo tree of 3-4 years old are cut, boiled to remove the oil and dried under the sun (there colour would turn from green to brown). The bamboo is first split by a tool known as the Kikuwari (which looks a bit like the fruit cutter) dividing the bamboo stem into equal divisions. The surface of the bamboo is then scrap off to allow the lacquer or other finishes to absorb. To make the higo, each of the large section is split into half with the knife from the back side of the bamboo, the strip is peeled and then strip again to the desired width. Finally, each strip is then rounded off on the 2 sides and the thickness evened, the higo is ready for weaving. All these steps might sound simple but will take a very experience craftman to produce good quality higo, just for using the kikuwari to split straight down would take at least 3 years of practice. This is a simple bamboo ikebana basket for Japanese flower decoration.
Mountain Folkcraft 