The Nemagari bamboo craft of the Oguni area in Kitakata City, Fukushima Prefecture, varied from one hamlet to another. Some specialized in making sieves, while others focused on baskets.
The Nemagari bamboo harvested around Lake Oguni, where fields of Nikkōkisuge grow in abundance, is a type of dwarf bamboo that grows in cold, snowy mountains at high altitudes, and its diameter is about 0.20 to 0.31 inches.
Since the early Edo period, people have crafted this Nemagari bamboo using only a hatchet, making daily tools such as sieves and baskets for everyday life. Bamboo work in this region also served as an important source of income during winter, when farming could not be done.
This Dish Basket, made to our original dimensions, was woven by an artisan from a hamlet known for basket making. There are four sizes in total, including the largest “laundry basket” size, which was designed and created by the craftsman himself.
As the artisan is now over ninety years old, minor details in design may occasionally vary, but all are perfectly functional as dish baskets.
We will continue to provide explanations on this page whenever specifications differ.
The Nemagari bamboo crafts of Oguni are simple, rugged, and exceptionally sturdy. Rather than making the strips perfectly uniform, artisans use thickly cut slats, and sometimes use half-split Nemagari bamboo just as it is for the rim.
Instead of shaping the baskets freely according to their preference, they make use of the natural flexibility and strength of Nemagari bamboo, then gently adjust the form by hand. Though the finished baskets are not perfectly even, their firm, solid structure is a defining characteristic.
This basket, known as a dish basket or bowl basket, was once commonly used as a draining basket for dishes.
However, today’s kitchens often have stainless steel countertops and highly sealed environments with little airflow. As a result, moisture has fewer places to escape, and tends to gather in bamboo baskets that naturally absorb water, making it easier for mold to form on the bottom surface or the rim that supports the dishes.
For this reason, we recommend using this basket as a place to rest frequently used dishes or teacups after washing and wiping them, not beside the sink, but as a regular basket kept in your kitchen or dining area.
Of course, it can still be used as a draining basket, but please consider your kitchen environment carefully, ensure good ventilation, and wipe away any remaining moisture from the basket itself.
All four sizes are made in roughly the same way.
The entire basket is based on the Mutsume-ami pattern, which forms a six-sided shape.In the center of each pattern, one additional horizontal strip is woven through—a technique commonly called Metsubushi.Depending on the artisan or the available materials, the side pattern may vary—some pieces have reinforcing strips along the sides, while others feature a simpler Mutsume-ami weave. We will deliver the type currently in stock at the time of your order. Please rest assured that both versions are equally strong and durable. In some cases, a small amount of adhesive may also be used.You may occasionally notice dark or brownish spots on the surface of the bamboo strips, but please consider them natural markings of the bamboo.Small cracks may also appear on some strips, but these do not affect usability and are not defects.The bottom of the basket is also woven in the Mutsume-ami Metsubushi style, just like the sides.For reinforcement, one support strip runs across the bottom of the small size, while two are used for the medium and larger sizes. Please note that the number of support strips may vary depending on material availability.Because this is a dish basket, the base is slightly raised when turned upside down. This allows air to circulate underneath, helping dishes dry more easily.The part that makes this dish basket particularly sturdy—and also the most time-consuming to craft—is the rim.This technique is called Sendan-maki, a method of wrapping the rim with almost no gaps between the layers. The rim is also wrapped with the outer skin of young Nemagari bamboo, showcasing the flexibility of the material.Because basket rims tend to wear or break first, simpler finishes are sometimes used on the bottom rim. However, we asked the artisan to use this durable Sendan-maki technique for the upper rim.For the small and medium sizes, depending on the artisan and materials, some may feature a rim wrapped and fastened around each unit of the weave. This style was also traditionally used in the region, and it is equally strong and reliable in everyday use.
We will now introduce the four available sizes, starting with the small size.
It is just the right size for holding dishes for one or two people.If used for teacups or drinking glasses, it can hold about four to five pieces for a family.You can also use it to store onions or potatoes—it works well as a basket for vegetables and fruits.
Next is the medium size.
It is suitable for holding dishes such as rice bowls, soup bowls, or plates for two to four people. If used only for teacups or drinking glasses, it can hold about seven to eight pieces.
This is the large size.
It can hold plenty of dishes.With enough depth in the basket, you can also stand plates upright if you like. For a family of four, this one basket is likely sufficient. It may also serve well as a personal laundry basket.
This is the extra-large size. Rather than a dish basket, this one is best suited for use as a laundry basket.
It can also be used to display or store fruits and vegetables beautifully.Depending on the season, it could serve as a laundry basket for about two people.Even just sitting in place, it has a presence and quiet charm.
Because of its raised bottom, this basket also works well as a fruit or vegetable basket to keep around the kitchen or on the table.
In the traditional Oguni style of Nemagari bamboo craft, which makes use of the natural bends and curves of the material, a variation of about 1.2″ to 2.0″ in shape or size is common. We recommend allowing a bit of extra room when considering the dimensions. If you have limited space or specific width and depth requirements for storage, please feel free to contact us. We will gladly check our stock and find a basket that fits your needs as closely as possible.
This dish basket, woven from Nemagari bamboo, carries the rustic and earthy character of nature. You will immediately feel its solid and sturdy construction the moment you hold it. It fits naturally into modern homes, offering a charming presence that gently brings a sense of ease. We hope you will welcome one into your home.
Please note: This item ships from Japan. As the buyer, you are responsible for any import duties, customs fees, or local taxes that may be charged in your country. These costs are not included in the item price or shipping cost. Please check with your local customs authority if you are unsure about any potential charges before placing your order.
The Nemagari bamboo craft of the Oguni area in Kitakata City, Fukushima Prefecture, varied from one hamlet to another. Some specialized in making sieves, while others focused on baskets.
The Nemagari bamboo harvested around Lake Oguni, where fields of Nikkōkisuge grow in abundance, is a type of dwarf bamboo that grows in cold, snowy mountains at high altitudes, and its diameter is about 0.20 to 0.31 inches.
Since the early Edo period, people have crafted this Nemagari bamboo using only a hatchet, making daily tools such as sieves and baskets for everyday life. Bamboo work in this region also served as an important source of income during winter, when farming could not be done.
This Dish Basket, made to our original dimensions, was woven by an artisan from a hamlet known for basket making. There are four sizes in total, including the largest “laundry basket” size, which was designed and created by the craftsman himself.
As the artisan is now over ninety years old, minor details in design may occasionally vary, but all are perfectly functional as dish baskets.
We will continue to provide explanations on this page whenever specifications differ.
The Nemagari bamboo crafts of Oguni are simple, rugged, and exceptionally sturdy. Rather than making the strips perfectly uniform, artisans use thickly cut slats, and sometimes use half-split Nemagari bamboo just as it is for the rim.
Instead of shaping the baskets freely according to their preference, they make use of the natural flexibility and strength of Nemagari bamboo, then gently adjust the form by hand. Though the finished baskets are not perfectly even, their firm, solid structure is a defining characteristic.
This basket, known as a dish basket or bowl basket, was once commonly used as a draining basket for dishes.
However, today’s kitchens often have stainless steel countertops and highly sealed environments with little airflow. As a result, moisture has fewer places to escape, and tends to gather in bamboo baskets that naturally absorb water, making it easier for mold to form on the bottom surface or the rim that supports the dishes.
For this reason, we recommend using this basket as a place to rest frequently used dishes or teacups after washing and wiping them, not beside the sink, but as a regular basket kept in your kitchen or dining area.
Of course, it can still be used as a draining basket, but please consider your kitchen environment carefully, ensure good ventilation, and wipe away any remaining moisture from the basket itself.
All four sizes are made in roughly the same way.
The entire basket is based on the Mutsume-ami pattern, which forms a six-sided shape.In the center of each pattern, one additional horizontal strip is woven through—a technique commonly called Metsubushi.Depending on the artisan or the available materials, the side pattern may vary—some pieces have reinforcing strips along the sides, while others feature a simpler Mutsume-ami weave. We will deliver the type currently in stock at the time of your order. Please rest assured that both versions are equally strong and durable. In some cases, a small amount of adhesive may also be used.You may occasionally notice dark or brownish spots on the surface of the bamboo strips, but please consider them natural markings of the bamboo.Small cracks may also appear on some strips, but these do not affect usability and are not defects.The bottom of the basket is also woven in the Mutsume-ami Metsubushi style, just like the sides.For reinforcement, one support strip runs across the bottom of the small size, while two are used for the medium and larger sizes. Please note that the number of support strips may vary depending on material availability.Because this is a dish basket, the base is slightly raised when turned upside down. This allows air to circulate underneath, helping dishes dry more easily.The part that makes this dish basket particularly sturdy—and also the most time-consuming to craft—is the rim.This technique is called Sendan-maki, a method of wrapping the rim with almost no gaps between the layers. The rim is also wrapped with the outer skin of young Nemagari bamboo, showcasing the flexibility of the material.Because basket rims tend to wear or break first, simpler finishes are sometimes used on the bottom rim. However, we asked the artisan to use this durable Sendan-maki technique for the upper rim.For the small and medium sizes, depending on the artisan and materials, some may feature a rim wrapped and fastened around each unit of the weave. This style was also traditionally used in the region, and it is equally strong and reliable in everyday use.
We will now introduce the four available sizes, starting with the small size.
It is just the right size for holding dishes for one or two people.If used for teacups or drinking glasses, it can hold about four to five pieces for a family.You can also use it to store onions or potatoes—it works well as a basket for vegetables and fruits.
Next is the medium size.
It is suitable for holding dishes such as rice bowls, soup bowls, or plates for two to four people. If used only for teacups or drinking glasses, it can hold about seven to eight pieces.
This is the large size.
It can hold plenty of dishes.With enough depth in the basket, you can also stand plates upright if you like. For a family of four, this one basket is likely sufficient. It may also serve well as a personal laundry basket.
This is the extra-large size. Rather than a dish basket, this one is best suited for use as a laundry basket.
It can also be used to display or store fruits and vegetables beautifully.Depending on the season, it could serve as a laundry basket for about two people.Even just sitting in place, it has a presence and quiet charm.
Because of its raised bottom, this basket also works well as a fruit or vegetable basket to keep around the kitchen or on the table.
In the traditional Oguni style of Nemagari bamboo craft, which makes use of the natural bends and curves of the material, a variation of about 1.2″ to 2.0″ in shape or size is common. We recommend allowing a bit of extra room when considering the dimensions. If you have limited space or specific width and depth requirements for storage, please feel free to contact us. We will gladly check our stock and find a basket that fits your needs as closely as possible.
This dish basket, woven from Nemagari bamboo, carries the rustic and earthy character of nature. You will immediately feel its solid and sturdy construction the moment you hold it. It fits naturally into modern homes, offering a charming presence that gently brings a sense of ease. We hope you will welcome one into your home.
Please note: This item ships from Japan. As the buyer, you are responsible for any import duties, customs fees, or local taxes that may be charged in your country. These costs are not included in the item price or shipping cost. Please check with your local customs authority if you are unsure about any potential charges before placing your order.
The Nemagari bamboo craft of the Oguni area in Kitakata City, Fukushima Prefecture, varied from one hamlet to another. Some specialized in making sieves, while others focused on baskets.
The Nemagari bamboo harvested around Lake Oguni, where fields of Nikkōkisuge grow in abundance, is a type of dwarf bamboo that grows in cold, snowy mountains at high altitudes, and its diameter is about 0.20 to 0.31 inches.
Since the early Edo period, people have crafted this Nemagari bamboo using only a hatchet, making daily tools such as sieves and baskets for everyday life. Bamboo work in this region also served as an important source of income during winter, when farming could not be done.
This Dish Basket, made to our original dimensions, was woven by an artisan from a hamlet known for basket making. There are four sizes in total, including the largest “laundry basket” size, which was designed and created by the craftsman himself.
As the artisan is now over ninety years old, minor details in design may occasionally vary, but all are perfectly functional as dish baskets.
We will continue to provide explanations on this page whenever specifications differ.
The Nemagari bamboo crafts of Oguni are simple, rugged, and exceptionally sturdy. Rather than making the strips perfectly uniform, artisans use thickly cut slats, and sometimes use half-split Nemagari bamboo just as it is for the rim.
Instead of shaping the baskets freely according to their preference, they make use of the natural flexibility and strength of Nemagari bamboo, then gently adjust the form by hand. Though the finished baskets are not perfectly even, their firm, solid structure is a defining characteristic.
This basket, known as a dish basket or bowl basket, was once commonly used as a draining basket for dishes.
However, today’s kitchens often have stainless steel countertops and highly sealed environments with little airflow. As a result, moisture has fewer places to escape, and tends to gather in bamboo baskets that naturally absorb water, making it easier for mold to form on the bottom surface or the rim that supports the dishes.
For this reason, we recommend using this basket as a place to rest frequently used dishes or teacups after washing and wiping them, not beside the sink, but as a regular basket kept in your kitchen or dining area.
Of course, it can still be used as a draining basket, but please consider your kitchen environment carefully, ensure good ventilation, and wipe away any remaining moisture from the basket itself.
All four sizes are made in roughly the same way.
The entire basket is based on the Mutsume-ami pattern, which forms a six-sided shape.In the center of each pattern, one additional horizontal strip is woven through—a technique commonly called Metsubushi.Depending on the artisan or the available materials, the side pattern may vary—some pieces have reinforcing strips along the sides, while others feature a simpler Mutsume-ami weave. We will deliver the type currently in stock at the time of your order. Please rest assured that both versions are equally strong and durable. In some cases, a small amount of adhesive may also be used.You may occasionally notice dark or brownish spots on the surface of the bamboo strips, but please consider them natural markings of the bamboo.Small cracks may also appear on some strips, but these do not affect usability and are not defects.The bottom of the basket is also woven in the Mutsume-ami Metsubushi style, just like the sides.For reinforcement, one support strip runs across the bottom of the small size, while two are used for the medium and larger sizes. Please note that the number of support strips may vary depending on material availability.Because this is a dish basket, the base is slightly raised when turned upside down. This allows air to circulate underneath, helping dishes dry more easily.The part that makes this dish basket particularly sturdy—and also the most time-consuming to craft—is the rim.This technique is called Sendan-maki, a method of wrapping the rim with almost no gaps between the layers. The rim is also wrapped with the outer skin of young Nemagari bamboo, showcasing the flexibility of the material.Because basket rims tend to wear or break first, simpler finishes are sometimes used on the bottom rim. However, we asked the artisan to use this durable Sendan-maki technique for the upper rim.For the small and medium sizes, depending on the artisan and materials, some may feature a rim wrapped and fastened around each unit of the weave. This style was also traditionally used in the region, and it is equally strong and reliable in everyday use.
We will now introduce the four available sizes, starting with the small size.
It is just the right size for holding dishes for one or two people.If used for teacups or drinking glasses, it can hold about four to five pieces for a family.You can also use it to store onions or potatoes—it works well as a basket for vegetables and fruits.
Next is the medium size.
It is suitable for holding dishes such as rice bowls, soup bowls, or plates for two to four people. If used only for teacups or drinking glasses, it can hold about seven to eight pieces.
This is the large size.
It can hold plenty of dishes.With enough depth in the basket, you can also stand plates upright if you like. For a family of four, this one basket is likely sufficient. It may also serve well as a personal laundry basket.
This is the extra-large size. Rather than a dish basket, this one is best suited for use as a laundry basket.
It can also be used to display or store fruits and vegetables beautifully.Depending on the season, it could serve as a laundry basket for about two people.Even just sitting in place, it has a presence and quiet charm.
Because of its raised bottom, this basket also works well as a fruit or vegetable basket to keep around the kitchen or on the table.
In the traditional Oguni style of Nemagari bamboo craft, which makes use of the natural bends and curves of the material, a variation of about 1.2″ to 2.0″ in shape or size is common. We recommend allowing a bit of extra room when considering the dimensions. If you have limited space or specific width and depth requirements for storage, please feel free to contact us. We will gladly check our stock and find a basket that fits your needs as closely as possible.
This dish basket, woven from Nemagari bamboo, carries the rustic and earthy character of nature. You will immediately feel its solid and sturdy construction the moment you hold it. It fits naturally into modern homes, offering a charming presence that gently brings a sense of ease. We hope you will welcome one into your home.
Please note: This item ships from Japan. As the buyer, you are responsible for any import duties, customs fees, or local taxes that may be charged in your country. These costs are not included in the item price or shipping cost. Please check with your local customs authority if you are unsure about any potential charges before placing your order.
