Located between Shizuoka and Kanagawa, the Ashigara area is home to the craftsperson who makes these Sasara Open Weave Baskets. In the past, it was also an important transportation hub along the old Tōkaidō route.
To the north of the Ashigara Plain spreads the Tanzawa Mountains, which make up about one-sixth of Kanagawa’s total area.
To the south, one can look out over Odawara and Sagami Bay; to the west, the mountains of Hakone and even Mt. Fuji rise in view. It is a region blessed with rich natural surroundings.
The Ashigara region receives abundant meltwater from Mt. Fuji and the Tanzawa Mountains. Even today, some areas still use groundwater as their source of drinking water.
The Sakawa River runs north to south through the plain, and thanks to this river, agriculture has flourished in the region since ancient times.
At the same time, the area has also faced floods and damage from volcanic ash and debris flows caused by eruptions of Mt. Fuji.
The bamboo growing in Ashigara, where people have always lived closely with nature, is said to be as thick and strong as that found in Kyushu. The long spacing between its nodes makes it ideal for bamboo crafts.
Using madake bamboo harvested from the foothills of the Tanzawa Mountains and the outer ridges of Hakone, a craftsperson continues the tradition of bamboo work in Ashigara.
Having entered the field at a young age, this craftsperson has been working with bamboo for more than 30 years.
Their work ranges widely—from creating baskets with unique, original designs, to reviving traditional baskets from different regions that have disappeared, restoring delicate bamboo crafts that have been damaged, producing festival tools rooted in local traditions, and giving live basket-weaving demonstrations abroad.
The basket introduced here is one of their works— a bamboo basket known as the “Sasara Open Weave Basket.”
“Sasara” refers to a bundle of thinly split bamboo strips. The name “Sasara Open Weave Basket” means a basket woven with bamboo strips in a sasara-like form, creating an open, airy weave.The name was given by the fourth-generation owner of our shop, the previous master.
This type of basket originally came from a small community in Fuchū City, Hiroshima Prefecture, where it was used mainly as a dish basket for holding washed tableware.
In Fuchū, production had ceased in the early Heisei period, and the craft once disappeared. However, in Kanagawa, the current craftsperson revived it around 2012, after much trial and error using old video records as references.
The Sasara Open Weave Basket series comes in five sizes: Extra Small, Small, Medium, Large, and Extra Large— ranging approximately from Ø 11.42″ (Extra Small) to Ø 17.72″ (Extra Large).
On this page, we introduce the two smaller sizes: Extra Small and Small.
It all begins with 8 straight bamboo strips. Depending on the size, each strip is about 0.47″ to 0.59″ wide.Each strip is split vertically from both ends, making 12 to 14 narrower slats, depending on the basket size.While pressing the 8 strips underfoot, the craftsperson turns their body as they weave, interlacing the bamboo into form. Here is the rim. The wavelike flow creates a smooth, gentle line with a soft impression.Viewed from above, the rim appears thinner than the rest of the basket’s solid structure.The weaving begins flat, pressed against the floor, but as the sides are raised, the craftsperson taps the basket against the floor with a pleasant rhythm, tightening the weave inward while shaping it upward.Finally, the base is finished—the sasara strips are fastened firmly in place.No wire or rattan is used; it is held together solely by the interwoven bamboo itself.The result is free of excess—simple, strong, and profoundly beautiful.The sasara-like strips catch the light, shining with a subtle luster.From every angle, it is a basket full of grace and quiet brilliance.This is the Extra Small size.It’s just the right size to use as a dish basket for drying tableware or as a fruit serving basket.Here it holds two sets of bowls—rice bowls and soup bowls for 2 people.It’s perfect for storing everyday tableware for 1–2 people.This is the Small size.It also works well as a dish basketor as a towel holder.Here, 3 face towels are placed inside. The inside is neatly finished, with almost no rough edges—ideal for keeping fabrics and towels.
It’s also lovely as a basket for tableware, fruit, or sweets.
Some people even use it as a vessel for flower arrangements, while others simply display the basket itself for its beauty.
This Sasara Open Weave Basket, faithfully revived across time and place, carries quiet grace and strength into daily life. We hope it will find a place in your everyday life as well.
Please choose the size that suits you best.
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.
Located between Shizuoka and Kanagawa, the Ashigara area is home to the craftsperson who makes these Sasara Open Weave Baskets. In the past, it was also an important transportation hub along the old Tōkaidō route.
To the north of the Ashigara Plain spreads the Tanzawa Mountains, which make up about one-sixth of Kanagawa’s total area.
To the south, one can look out over Odawara and Sagami Bay; to the west, the mountains of Hakone and even Mt. Fuji rise in view. It is a region blessed with rich natural surroundings.
The Ashigara region receives abundant meltwater from Mt. Fuji and the Tanzawa Mountains. Even today, some areas still use groundwater as their source of drinking water.
The Sakawa River runs north to south through the plain, and thanks to this river, agriculture has flourished in the region since ancient times.
At the same time, the area has also faced floods and damage from volcanic ash and debris flows caused by eruptions of Mt. Fuji.
The bamboo growing in Ashigara, where people have always lived closely with nature, is said to be as thick and strong as that found in Kyushu. The long spacing between its nodes makes it ideal for bamboo crafts.
Using madake bamboo harvested from the foothills of the Tanzawa Mountains and the outer ridges of Hakone, a craftsperson continues the tradition of bamboo work in Ashigara.
Having entered the field at a young age, this craftsperson has been working with bamboo for more than 30 years.
Their work ranges widely—from creating baskets with unique, original designs, to reviving traditional baskets from different regions that have disappeared, restoring delicate bamboo crafts that have been damaged, producing festival tools rooted in local traditions, and giving live basket-weaving demonstrations abroad.
The basket introduced here is one of their works— a bamboo basket known as the “Sasara Open Weave Basket.”
“Sasara” refers to a bundle of thinly split bamboo strips. The name “Sasara Open Weave Basket” means a basket woven with bamboo strips in a sasara-like form, creating an open, airy weave.The name was given by the fourth-generation owner of our shop, the previous master.
This type of basket originally came from a small community in Fuchū City, Hiroshima Prefecture, where it was used mainly as a dish basket for holding washed tableware.
In Fuchū, production had ceased in the early Heisei period, and the craft once disappeared. However, in Kanagawa, the current craftsperson revived it around 2012, after much trial and error using old video records as references.
The Sasara Open Weave Basket series comes in five sizes: Extra Small, Small, Medium, Large, and Extra Large— ranging approximately from Ø 11.42″ (Extra Small) to Ø 17.72″ (Extra Large).
On this page, we introduce the two smaller sizes: Extra Small and Small.
It all begins with 8 straight bamboo strips. Depending on the size, each strip is about 0.47″ to 0.59″ wide.Each strip is split vertically from both ends, making 12 to 14 narrower slats, depending on the basket size.While pressing the 8 strips underfoot, the craftsperson turns their body as they weave, interlacing the bamboo into form. Here is the rim. The wavelike flow creates a smooth, gentle line with a soft impression.Viewed from above, the rim appears thinner than the rest of the basket’s solid structure.The weaving begins flat, pressed against the floor, but as the sides are raised, the craftsperson taps the basket against the floor with a pleasant rhythm, tightening the weave inward while shaping it upward.Finally, the base is finished—the sasara strips are fastened firmly in place.No wire or rattan is used; it is held together solely by the interwoven bamboo itself.The result is free of excess—simple, strong, and profoundly beautiful.The sasara-like strips catch the light, shining with a subtle luster.From every angle, it is a basket full of grace and quiet brilliance.This is the Extra Small size.It’s just the right size to use as a dish basket for drying tableware or as a fruit serving basket.Here it holds two sets of bowls—rice bowls and soup bowls for 2 people.It’s perfect for storing everyday tableware for 1–2 people.This is the Small size.It also works well as a dish basketor as a towel holder.Here, 3 face towels are placed inside. The inside is neatly finished, with almost no rough edges—ideal for keeping fabrics and towels.
It’s also lovely as a basket for tableware, fruit, or sweets.
Some people even use it as a vessel for flower arrangements, while others simply display the basket itself for its beauty.
This Sasara Open Weave Basket, faithfully revived across time and place, carries quiet grace and strength into daily life. We hope it will find a place in your everyday life as well.
Please choose the size that suits you best.
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.
Located between Shizuoka and Kanagawa, the Ashigara area is home to the craftsperson who makes these Sasara Open Weave Baskets. In the past, it was also an important transportation hub along the old Tōkaidō route.
To the north of the Ashigara Plain spreads the Tanzawa Mountains, which make up about one-sixth of Kanagawa’s total area.
To the south, one can look out over Odawara and Sagami Bay; to the west, the mountains of Hakone and even Mt. Fuji rise in view. It is a region blessed with rich natural surroundings.
The Ashigara region receives abundant meltwater from Mt. Fuji and the Tanzawa Mountains. Even today, some areas still use groundwater as their source of drinking water.
The Sakawa River runs north to south through the plain, and thanks to this river, agriculture has flourished in the region since ancient times.
At the same time, the area has also faced floods and damage from volcanic ash and debris flows caused by eruptions of Mt. Fuji.
The bamboo growing in Ashigara, where people have always lived closely with nature, is said to be as thick and strong as that found in Kyushu. The long spacing between its nodes makes it ideal for bamboo crafts.
Using madake bamboo harvested from the foothills of the Tanzawa Mountains and the outer ridges of Hakone, a craftsperson continues the tradition of bamboo work in Ashigara.
Having entered the field at a young age, this craftsperson has been working with bamboo for more than 30 years.
Their work ranges widely—from creating baskets with unique, original designs, to reviving traditional baskets from different regions that have disappeared, restoring delicate bamboo crafts that have been damaged, producing festival tools rooted in local traditions, and giving live basket-weaving demonstrations abroad.
The basket introduced here is one of their works— a bamboo basket known as the “Sasara Open Weave Basket.”
“Sasara” refers to a bundle of thinly split bamboo strips. The name “Sasara Open Weave Basket” means a basket woven with bamboo strips in a sasara-like form, creating an open, airy weave.The name was given by the fourth-generation owner of our shop, the previous master.
This type of basket originally came from a small community in Fuchū City, Hiroshima Prefecture, where it was used mainly as a dish basket for holding washed tableware.
In Fuchū, production had ceased in the early Heisei period, and the craft once disappeared. However, in Kanagawa, the current craftsperson revived it around 2012, after much trial and error using old video records as references.
The Sasara Open Weave Basket series comes in five sizes: Extra Small, Small, Medium, Large, and Extra Large— ranging approximately from Ø 11.42″ (Extra Small) to Ø 17.72″ (Extra Large).
On this page, we introduce the two smaller sizes: Extra Small and Small.
It all begins with 8 straight bamboo strips. Depending on the size, each strip is about 0.47″ to 0.59″ wide.Each strip is split vertically from both ends, making 12 to 14 narrower slats, depending on the basket size.While pressing the 8 strips underfoot, the craftsperson turns their body as they weave, interlacing the bamboo into form. Here is the rim. The wavelike flow creates a smooth, gentle line with a soft impression.Viewed from above, the rim appears thinner than the rest of the basket’s solid structure.The weaving begins flat, pressed against the floor, but as the sides are raised, the craftsperson taps the basket against the floor with a pleasant rhythm, tightening the weave inward while shaping it upward.Finally, the base is finished—the sasara strips are fastened firmly in place.No wire or rattan is used; it is held together solely by the interwoven bamboo itself.The result is free of excess—simple, strong, and profoundly beautiful.The sasara-like strips catch the light, shining with a subtle luster.From every angle, it is a basket full of grace and quiet brilliance.This is the Extra Small size.It’s just the right size to use as a dish basket for drying tableware or as a fruit serving basket.Here it holds two sets of bowls—rice bowls and soup bowls for 2 people.It’s perfect for storing everyday tableware for 1–2 people.This is the Small size.It also works well as a dish basketor as a towel holder.Here, 3 face towels are placed inside. The inside is neatly finished, with almost no rough edges—ideal for keeping fabrics and towels.
It’s also lovely as a basket for tableware, fruit, or sweets.
Some people even use it as a vessel for flower arrangements, while others simply display the basket itself for its beauty.
This Sasara Open Weave Basket, faithfully revived across time and place, carries quiet grace and strength into daily life. We hope it will find a place in your everyday life as well.
Please choose the size that suits you best.
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.
