Arima Bamboo Basket / Book Storage

Product Description : Why is it so EXPENSIVE?

Product Story

General Product Information

In the history of the traditional craft of "Arima Baskets," these book storage have been used by people for a long time and have taken root in their daily lives.
It is made of bamboo from the Rokko mountain range and woven in a way that has remained unchanged since ancient times. The pattern is also unique to Arima Bamboo Baskets, and the finish is simple, but with a sense of the beauty of bamboo.
Since they are made of high-quality bamboo from mountain thickets, the more you use them, the more they change their color to candy and become shiny tools.

Arima baskets are a traditional bamboo craft that originated in the Azuchi-Momoyama period.
It is said that the origin of Arima baskets dates back to the days of Hideyoshi Toyotomi, who began making flower baskets at Arima Onsen, a hot spring resort that Hideyoshi Toyotomi loved and that was favored by Sen-no-Rikyu.
Various bamboo crafts are handmade by craftsmen using high-quality bamboo.

 Product History

When did these crafts start to craft?：800 years ago / 1200AD / Azuchimomoyama period in Japan

The history of Arima basket is very old, and it is said to have originated in the Azuchi-Momoyama period.
According to the "Diary of Kennyo Shonin Kaizuka Gozasho" owned by Higashi Honganji Temple in Kyoto, "Kennyo Shonin bathing in Arima on September 13, 1585, presented Kita Masasho (Nene), the wife of Lord Toyotomi Hideyoshi, with an 'Arima basket' as a gift. It is evident that the baskets became a souvenir for visitors to the bathhouse at this time.
Later, Arima Baskets were introduced in various books as a famous specialty product during the Edo period, and were exhibited at the Vienna World Exposition held in Austria in 1873, where they received an award for excellence. From there, the industry gradually developed, and at its height in the Taisho era (1912-1926), the number of employees reached over 70, forming a town called "Kagoya-machi" (basket town). Around this time, basket makers also went to Beppu in Kyushu, where bamboo crafts are now flourishing, to introduce bamboo crafting techniques and skills.
Around 1945, however, the number of people engaged in the craft declined due to the introduction of inexpensive, mass-produced plastic products and the war, and the lack of successors led to a gradual decline. Currently, only our craftsmen, led by Shochusai Gagu, the fourth generation, continue to produce Arima baskets using traditional techniques.

Craftsman Story

Craftsman Profile

Kutsuwa
The company was founded in 1868 as a workshop for Arima baskets (bamboo craft), a traditional handicraft designated by the Governor of Hyogo Prefecture, and bamboo brushes.
The Arima basket craft originated in the Azuchi-Momoyama period (1573-1600) and was presented to Toyotomi Hideyoshi's wife, Nene, and has long been a favorite of people.

Craftsman Passion

"Crafts adapted to the modern age."
As a bamboo craft workshop, we want to continue to pass on traditional techniques and use them to create products that suit modern lifestyles.

Your Contribution to Craftsman

Customer Voice

Due to the market structure (link for full articles are attached bottom), craftsman have not known who the customer is and how customer reacts to their work. We made a “Message to Craftsman” box at purchase page. We will deliver all message to every craftsman. Our review will be also shared to craftsman so please leave your comment and evaluation on review section!

Income for Craftsman: Craftsman get only less than 10% of selling price?

As written above, craftsman have not controlled last phase of sales channel that resulting in selling price is set by third-party without craftsman’s recognition. There are some cases that only less than 10% of selling price is given to craftsman. We promise with our customer / craftsman that we offer the fair trade with craftsmen in our contract!

We made an article about above problem and our challenge. Please have a read from below link.
Current state of the Crafts Market / Benefits brought by Suigenkyo

Measurement

Width：20cm
Depth：25cm
Height：8cm
Weight：193g

Material & Caution

Materials

Bamboo

Caution

Individual Difference

Each piece is handmade, so there are individual differences even in the same series. We hope that you will understand the change by handmade.

Delivery Date

Please note that it will take about two months for delivery if we do not have the item in stock.