VILLAGE Report vol.5 Akita Prefecture | Odate Magewappa, said to hold a unique position among Japan’s bentwood crafts

Let’s begin with the story of a bento box. The round one made of wood.

According to materials from Odate City and the Tohoku Bureau of Economy, Trade and Industry, Odate magewappa was designated a national traditional craft on October 16, 1980. At the time, among the 15 bentwood crafts found across Japan, it was the only one to receive the designation.

The Method Chooses the Material

The process is roughly as follows.

• Take natural Akita cedar of around 200 years old and cut it thinly along the straight grain
• The wood is boiled, and when it softens, it is bent into a ring.
• Stitch the joint together with wild cherry bark

For the single purpose of “bending thin wood,” the craft requires wood that is straight and densely grained. That is why the number 200 years appears. The method chooses the material, and the material determines the production area. This is why craft production areas cannot simply be moved.

Magewappa is said to continue being chosen as a bento box because the cedar absorbs excess moisture. The logic of the object as a tool leads directly to the beauty of its form. Well-made crafts usually have this kind of harmony.

Last time, we visited Miyagi Traditional Kokeshi from Miyagi Prefecture That was our focus. Next time, we go to Yamagata Prefecture, the town of shogi pieces.

References: Tohoku Bureau of Economy, Trade and Industry; Odate City

—The Value Village Editorial Team

Photo: sota / CC BY-SA 2.0 (Wikimedia Commons)