Experience the Warmth of Handwoven Traditional Bamboo Crafts in Beppu City, Oita Prefecture

About the Bamboo Crafts of Beppu City, Oita Prefecture

"Takezaiku" (竹細工) is the Japanese word for "bamboo crafts," which involves weaving and intertwining strips of bamboo to create everything from daily necessities to fishing and farming tools, tea ceremony utensils, and even large works of art.

The History of Beppu's Bamboo Crafts

Bamboo craftsmanship in Beppu has a long history. As early as the Muromachi Period (1336 – 1573), local craftspeople commercialized bamboo by using it to make salt baskets.

Later in the Edo Period (1600 – 1868), the name “Beppu Onsen” became famous throughout Japan, attracting many long-term visitors with its recuperative hot springs. These visitors would stay for long periods of time, and therefore needed to cook everyday. Bamboo kitchenware, such as rice baskets, were used by these bathers and then taken home as souvenirs, increasing the demand for the craft.

In 1902, Beppu established the Beppu Hamawaki Technical Apprentice School (now Oita Prefectural Technical High School) to modernize bamboo crafts. Many bamboo artisans from across Japan came to the school to learn new and improved bamboo weaving techniques, further establishing the bamboo crafting industry in Beppu.

Since then, the craft has evolved from just being purely about utility, embracing its more artistic side to also create fine artworks for display.

The Amazing Skill Needed for Beppu's Bamboo Crafts

Bamboo weaving is no easy task.

To succeed as a bamboo artisan, on top of having the skill and strength to be able to cut bamboo, one must have a keen eye for beauty and be able to visualize the final woven piece. As a teacher at one of the bamboo crafting workshops we visited put it: The first step to becoming a bamboo craft apprentice is to sharpen your math skills.

There is another saying in the world of bamboo craftsmanship: "Three years for splitting, eight years for weaving,” meaning that it takes three years of training just to cut bamboo properly, and eight years to learn the Japanese techniques for weaving bamboo.

After the bamboo has been harvested, it is boiled to remove any excess oil and dried before it's sold to bamboo artisans. Once the bamboo is in the artisan's hands, it is up to them to split and cut the stalk, as well as strip off the soft inner layer, until they have strips of bamboo bark that are at the right length and thickness for weaving. In Beppu, that usually means the bark is processed until just 0.5 millimeters thick, which is extremely thin and requires considerable skill to achieve.

In addition, because natural bamboo has joints and does not actually grow straight, the bamboo artisan must cut it along its natural curvature, which further puts their skills to the test.

This processing work may look tedious and repetitive, but as we watched the bamboo craftspeople at work, we realized just how much skill and precision was actually needed to turn this natural resource into both a practical craft and piece of artwork.

A Simple Breakdown of How Beppu's Bamboo Crafts Are Made

As we mentioned in the previous section, there are actually quite a few steps involved in turning bamboo into weaved crafts. But if we had to break the entire process down into four simple steps, it would be:

Step 1. 荒割り (ara wari): Harvesting the bamboo.

Step 2. 剥ぎ (mugi): Removing the core of the bamboo to leave behind a roughly 0.5-millimeter-thick layer of bark.

Step 3. ひご加工 (higo kakou): Processing the bamboo to get it to the right length, width, and thickness.

Step 4. 編み (ami): Weaving the bark into the final piece.

The last step isn't as simple as it sounds.

There are hundreds of different ways to weave bamboo, and which techniques you choose depend on what you're trying to achieve. For example, you might use a certain technique for creating sturdy and durable pieces, but utilize another when creating delicate decorative crafts. Every artisan takes a different approach, resulting in bamboo crafts and artworks that are all truly one of a kind.

Dry bamboo is also prone to cracking, so water must be continuously sprayed on the material during the weaving process.

While it might be a lot of effort, it is most definitely worth it when you see the finished product. One particularly attractive feature of bamboo is how its color changes over a long period of time, from its original green to a more caramel brown. Seeing a bamboo craft age like fine wine will no doubt tickle many hearts.

You can see an example of this on display at the Beppu City Traditional Bamboo Crafts Center (pictured above). There's also a small photo in front of the art piece that shows how it looked at the beginning.

How Beppu's Bamboo Crafting Industry Strives to Stay Sustainable

As only the bamboo bark is needed, the waste bamboo is often taken back to a bamboo processing facility where it is used as kindling for future bamboo crafting projects.

cotake Taking Up the Mission of Promoting Beppu's Bamboo Crafts

Mikiko Sato, owner of the "cotake" bamboo craft studio and store, as well as a Beppu bamboo craftswoman, first felt her calling when she visited the Beppu City Traditional Bamboo Crafts Center over five years ago. As a proud native of the city, she wanted to share the local tradition of bamboo crafting with everyone. Today, Sato is not only a world-renowned bamboo artisan, she also operates a workshop to teach people about Beppu's bamboo craft industry and techniques.

Popular cotake Bamboo Crafts That Can Be Used Every Day

As a female artisan, Sato has created several bamboo pieces that can be easily incorporated into daily life, such as hair accessories, earrings, and necklaces. The delicate nature of bamboo really adds a touch of elegance to the everyday.

Some other popular products at cotake are bamboo baskets and bags, which the residents of Beppu often use to carry their bath amenities when visiting a public bathhouse or hot spring bath.

Elevating Bamboo to an Art Form

Bamboo products are actually very common in Asia. So, many traditionalists consider it difficult to infuse the material with a sense of luxury and artistry.

However, the bamboo craftspeople of Beppu have broken away from tradition and started approaching bamboo from an artistic point of view. It’s easy to see why in hindsight - like leather, bamboo changes color with the passage of time, gaining more character as it ages.

In the past, we were also amazed by the exquisite bamboo works on display at bamboo craft workshops and exhibitions.

During our Beppu trip, we personally saw just how eager all of the artisans we met were to talk about their work and the art of bamboo crafts. We strongly encourage any future visitors to Beppu to sign up for a fun bamboo crafting workshop or check out the Beppu City Traditional Bamboo Crafts Center to learn more about the wonderful world of bamboo weaving. With such passionate artisans at the helm, we're sure that you'll quickly come to appreciate the beauty of this traditional Beppu craft, just like we did.