Wicker-work

Wicker-work is one of the oldest women’s occupations connected mostly with the production of everyday and household implements. Inhabitants of coastal villages have long braided nets, baskets and other devices for fishing from vegetable fiber and strings using special instruments with the help of each cells of the same size could be made. In forest regions Japanese masters make baskets, footwear, hats and other everyday objects from cane and bamboo plates. To keep food vessels of different forms are made from grass, bush stems, bark stripes, etc. They are often decorated with complex patterns, and interesting color combinations are reached by changing the color of materials. Straw mats called tatami trimmed with igus grass are an element of the traditional interior. Japanese women master the skill of demonstrating the natural beauty of a material, for example bamboo, by emphasizing the golden-brownish fibers and the natural pattern of its surface.

The art of wicker had great influence on the Japanese artistic tradition on the whole: even ancient Samurai armors can be viewed as a variation of this art. Wicker structures were also widely used in traditional architecture: this allowed Japanese homes to survive earthquakes. The same principles are used in modern Japanese architecture (many high buildings have a flexible “spine” made of interwoven pipes, cables and ropes).

Seller pf bamboo wickerworks. Japan. The Japanese. Late 19th cent.		Bamboo wickered box. Japan. The Japanese. Early 20th cent.		Wicker-work shop. Japan. The Japanese. Late 19th cent.
Working-up. Japan. The Japanese, mid-to-late 19th c.		Bamboo weaved articles shop. Japan. Arashiyama. The Japanese. Maykova N., 2005