[VILLAGE Report vol.27] Shaving Bamboo Like Thread | Shizuoka Prefecture

Shizuoka Prefecture’s nationally designated crafts are Suruga bamboo latticeware, Suruga miniature doll-festival implements, Suruga hina dolls these 3 items.

Two of the 3 are related to hina doll-festival implements. And the remaining one is quite unusual.

Round bamboo strips

When people hear bamboo craft, they probably picture baskets woven from flat strips of bamboo. Hyogo’s Toyooka willow basketry (vol.24) was also a woven craft, though the material was different.

Suruga bamboo latticeware shaves bamboo into “round strips.” Rather than weaving flat strips, it is assembled by inserting slender round rods one by one.

There are very few examples of this technique nationwide.

Because round strips have circular cross sections, they flex in the same way in any direction. That is why curved surfaces can be made freely. Insect cages, serving baskets, lanterns, flower vases—it excels at objects with many curves.

The shaving is done by hand. From 1 piece of bamboo, dozens of round strips of even thickness are taken. If even 1 strip differs in thickness, the finished piece will warp when assembled.

Why Shizuoka?

During the Edo period, craftspeople gathered in Sunpu from across Japan for projects such as the construction of Toshogu Shrine. Many craftspeople are said to have settled there after the work was finished it is said.

Hyogo’s Banshu abacus (vol.24) came from techniques learned at a place of refuge and brought back home. In Shizuoka, the people who came stayed where they were.

There are many patterns in how techniques move.

Two kinds of hina doll-festival items

Suruga miniature doll-festival implements and Suruga hina dolls being designated separately is unusual.

Hina implements are the small items displayed on a hina doll stand, such as chests, dressing tables, palanquins, and tiered boxes. They are made by craftspeople different from those who make the dolls.

The techniques used to make a real chest are reduced as they are to just a few centimeters. The drawers actually open.

Iwatsuki in Saitama (to be touched on in vol.36) is known as a production area for dolls, but Shizuoka is designated for the “belongings” side which is the interesting point.

Things outside the designation

Shizuoka has several industries that are not designated as traditional crafts but are known nationwide. Tea, and models (plastic models) in total.

Model-making, if traced back to its roots, is woodworking— the techniques of wooden molds and Buddhist altars are said to be directly connected to it.

As we also wrote about Wakayama’s Binchotan charcoal (vol.18), whether or not something is designated is separate from the strength of the place.

Next issue, we go to Nagano.

References: Shizuoka Prefecture, Shizuoka City, Association for the Promotion of Traditional Craft Industries

—The Value Village Editorial Team

Photo: なまけもの人間 / CC BY-SA 4.0 (Wikimedia Commons)