This handheld basket is woven using the bark of sawagurumi (Japanese walnut).
The bark of walnut trees is harvested at its peak from spring through the rainy season, when the material is rich with moisture.
Sawagurumi, as its name suggests, is a species of walnut that grows naturally along mountain streams and shallow valleys.
Unlike yamagurumi, which grows in the mountains, the nuts of sawagurumi are not used for food. Instead, the tree has the characteristic of letting its seeds travel downstream, carried away by the flow of nearby streams.
For basketry, young trees that are two to three years old are used.Sawagurumi grows in clusters like this, sprouting multiple stems from the base.Further up, the stems branch out in this way.Not all of the clustered stems are cut; only two or three are selected and harvested.Freshly cut stems glisten with a silvery sheen when touched by the sunlight.A small cut is made in the bark of the freshly cut stem, and the bark is peeled away from the core. This is the sawagurumi bark right after peeling. The inner surface begins as a fresh, creamy color, but over time it deepens into a rich, dark brown.The core left after peeling is returned to the mountains. After about a year, it breaks down into a soft, crumbly state, preparing to return to the soil.This bark has been left for some time after peeling. The inner layer visible on the surface has begun to take on a warm brown tone, and its color will continue to deepen as it ages.
Here, we would like to introduce a handheld basket crafted from walnut bark.
This basket bag is crafted with pale, light-toned outer bark and finished with a finely woven ajiro-ami pattern.
It is woven so that the pale outer bark of walnut forms the surface. The entire basket is finished in the ajiro-ami pattern, giving it a beautifully even and finely textured appearance.The tightly packed weave creates a beautifully uniform surface, allowing you to fully appreciate the natural texture of the walnut’s outer bark.Just below the rim, two rows of outer-bark stitching run around the basket.This is the view of the rim from above.The weaving is secured firmly from both the outside and the inside of the basket.This is the handle area of the basket. The handle is woven so that the pale outer bark is visible, matching the overall light tone of the piece.Akebi vine is used as the core material inside the handle. The core is wrapped and finished with walnut bark, then securely attached to the body of the basket.This is the bottom of the basket, also finished in the ajiro-ami pattern, creating a firm and sturdy structure.Inside the basket, the color arrangement appears as the reverse of the outside; when in use, you’ll most often see the deep brown inner bark spreading warmly across the interior.A wallet, pouch, mobile phone, key case, and even a small bottle all fit inside with room to spare.For added privacy, you can place a favorite scarf or handkerchief over your belongings. Thanks to the basket’s light, gentle tones, brightly colored fabrics pair especially well with it.It works beautifully as a companion when dressing up for an outing, and just as well as an everyday commuter bag.As a basket bag, its standard size and classic ajiro-ami weave give it a timeless appeal—something that remains pleasing and reliable as the years go by.
Perfect not only for autumn and winter, but also for the chilly mornings and evenings of spring when paired with a stole or muffler. This sawagurumi basket is a piece you can enjoy throughout the year.
The materials are carefully prepared, so there is no roughness — the surface feels smooth, clean, and pleasantly light to the touch.
Each walnut-bark strip has its own subtle tone and texture, and together they give the basket a sense of depth and character.
Bring the basket close and you can enjoy the rich, natural aroma of walnut. And the more you gently run your hand over the surface, the more luster the basket develops as it absorbs the natural oils from your skin.
For those thinking of choosing their first truly crafted basket bag, this piece is a wonderful place to start. Its timeless look suits any age and style, making it easy to carry in a wide range of settings.
We hope you enjoy this calm, quietly beautiful sawagurumi basket in your daily life.
Original and uniquely crafted barkwork from Iwate.
In this region blessed with abundant nature, these artisans create their work using materials such as walnut bark and wild grapevine.
Their pieces are rich in variety—both in design and in proportion—and always bring a sense of delight when we encounter them.
They walk the mountains of Iwate themselves, selecting and harvesting only the finest materials. The care they put into preparing each piece of bark, and the time they devote before the weaving even begins, set their work apart. From their distinctive approach to design to the way each basket is brought to life, their craft is truly unlike any other.
This handheld basket is woven using the bark of sawagurumi (Japanese walnut).
The bark of walnut trees is harvested at its peak from spring through the rainy season, when the material is rich with moisture.
Sawagurumi, as its name suggests, is a species of walnut that grows naturally along mountain streams and shallow valleys.
Unlike yamagurumi, which grows in the mountains, the nuts of sawagurumi are not used for food. Instead, the tree has the characteristic of letting its seeds travel downstream, carried away by the flow of nearby streams.
For basketry, young trees that are two to three years old are used.Sawagurumi grows in clusters like this, sprouting multiple stems from the base.Further up, the stems branch out in this way.Not all of the clustered stems are cut; only two or three are selected and harvested.Freshly cut stems glisten with a silvery sheen when touched by the sunlight.A small cut is made in the bark of the freshly cut stem, and the bark is peeled away from the core. This is the sawagurumi bark right after peeling. The inner surface begins as a fresh, creamy color, but over time it deepens into a rich, dark brown.The core left after peeling is returned to the mountains. After about a year, it breaks down into a soft, crumbly state, preparing to return to the soil.This bark has been left for some time after peeling. The inner layer visible on the surface has begun to take on a warm brown tone, and its color will continue to deepen as it ages.
Here, we would like to introduce a handheld basket crafted from walnut bark.
This basket bag is crafted with pale, light-toned outer bark and finished with a finely woven ajiro-ami pattern.
It is woven so that the pale outer bark of walnut forms the surface. The entire basket is finished in the ajiro-ami pattern, giving it a beautifully even and finely textured appearance.The tightly packed weave creates a beautifully uniform surface, allowing you to fully appreciate the natural texture of the walnut’s outer bark.Just below the rim, two rows of outer-bark stitching run around the basket.This is the view of the rim from above.The weaving is secured firmly from both the outside and the inside of the basket.This is the handle area of the basket. The handle is woven so that the pale outer bark is visible, matching the overall light tone of the piece.Akebi vine is used as the core material inside the handle. The core is wrapped and finished with walnut bark, then securely attached to the body of the basket.This is the bottom of the basket, also finished in the ajiro-ami pattern, creating a firm and sturdy structure.Inside the basket, the color arrangement appears as the reverse of the outside; when in use, you’ll most often see the deep brown inner bark spreading warmly across the interior.A wallet, pouch, mobile phone, key case, and even a small bottle all fit inside with room to spare.For added privacy, you can place a favorite scarf or handkerchief over your belongings. Thanks to the basket’s light, gentle tones, brightly colored fabrics pair especially well with it.It works beautifully as a companion when dressing up for an outing, and just as well as an everyday commuter bag.As a basket bag, its standard size and classic ajiro-ami weave give it a timeless appeal—something that remains pleasing and reliable as the years go by.
Perfect not only for autumn and winter, but also for the chilly mornings and evenings of spring when paired with a stole or muffler. This sawagurumi basket is a piece you can enjoy throughout the year.
The materials are carefully prepared, so there is no roughness — the surface feels smooth, clean, and pleasantly light to the touch.
Each walnut-bark strip has its own subtle tone and texture, and together they give the basket a sense of depth and character.
Bring the basket close and you can enjoy the rich, natural aroma of walnut. And the more you gently run your hand over the surface, the more luster the basket develops as it absorbs the natural oils from your skin.
For those thinking of choosing their first truly crafted basket bag, this piece is a wonderful place to start. Its timeless look suits any age and style, making it easy to carry in a wide range of settings.
We hope you enjoy this calm, quietly beautiful sawagurumi basket in your daily life.
Original and uniquely crafted barkwork from Iwate.
In this region blessed with abundant nature, these artisans create their work using materials such as walnut bark and wild grapevine.
Their pieces are rich in variety—both in design and in proportion—and always bring a sense of delight when we encounter them.
They walk the mountains of Iwate themselves, selecting and harvesting only the finest materials. The care they put into preparing each piece of bark, and the time they devote before the weaving even begins, set their work apart. From their distinctive approach to design to the way each basket is brought to life, their craft is truly unlike any other.
This handheld basket is woven using the bark of sawagurumi (Japanese walnut).
The bark of walnut trees is harvested at its peak from spring through the rainy season, when the material is rich with moisture.
Sawagurumi, as its name suggests, is a species of walnut that grows naturally along mountain streams and shallow valleys.
Unlike yamagurumi, which grows in the mountains, the nuts of sawagurumi are not used for food. Instead, the tree has the characteristic of letting its seeds travel downstream, carried away by the flow of nearby streams.
For basketry, young trees that are two to three years old are used.Sawagurumi grows in clusters like this, sprouting multiple stems from the base.Further up, the stems branch out in this way.Not all of the clustered stems are cut; only two or three are selected and harvested.Freshly cut stems glisten with a silvery sheen when touched by the sunlight.A small cut is made in the bark of the freshly cut stem, and the bark is peeled away from the core. This is the sawagurumi bark right after peeling. The inner surface begins as a fresh, creamy color, but over time it deepens into a rich, dark brown.The core left after peeling is returned to the mountains. After about a year, it breaks down into a soft, crumbly state, preparing to return to the soil.This bark has been left for some time after peeling. The inner layer visible on the surface has begun to take on a warm brown tone, and its color will continue to deepen as it ages.
Here, we would like to introduce a handheld basket crafted from walnut bark.
This basket bag is crafted with pale, light-toned outer bark and finished with a finely woven ajiro-ami pattern.
It is woven so that the pale outer bark of walnut forms the surface. The entire basket is finished in the ajiro-ami pattern, giving it a beautifully even and finely textured appearance.The tightly packed weave creates a beautifully uniform surface, allowing you to fully appreciate the natural texture of the walnut’s outer bark.Just below the rim, two rows of outer-bark stitching run around the basket.This is the view of the rim from above.The weaving is secured firmly from both the outside and the inside of the basket.This is the handle area of the basket. The handle is woven so that the pale outer bark is visible, matching the overall light tone of the piece.Akebi vine is used as the core material inside the handle. The core is wrapped and finished with walnut bark, then securely attached to the body of the basket.This is the bottom of the basket, also finished in the ajiro-ami pattern, creating a firm and sturdy structure.Inside the basket, the color arrangement appears as the reverse of the outside; when in use, you’ll most often see the deep brown inner bark spreading warmly across the interior.A wallet, pouch, mobile phone, key case, and even a small bottle all fit inside with room to spare.For added privacy, you can place a favorite scarf or handkerchief over your belongings. Thanks to the basket’s light, gentle tones, brightly colored fabrics pair especially well with it.It works beautifully as a companion when dressing up for an outing, and just as well as an everyday commuter bag.As a basket bag, its standard size and classic ajiro-ami weave give it a timeless appeal—something that remains pleasing and reliable as the years go by.
Perfect not only for autumn and winter, but also for the chilly mornings and evenings of spring when paired with a stole or muffler. This sawagurumi basket is a piece you can enjoy throughout the year.
The materials are carefully prepared, so there is no roughness — the surface feels smooth, clean, and pleasantly light to the touch.
Each walnut-bark strip has its own subtle tone and texture, and together they give the basket a sense of depth and character.
Bring the basket close and you can enjoy the rich, natural aroma of walnut. And the more you gently run your hand over the surface, the more luster the basket develops as it absorbs the natural oils from your skin.
For those thinking of choosing their first truly crafted basket bag, this piece is a wonderful place to start. Its timeless look suits any age and style, making it easy to carry in a wide range of settings.
We hope you enjoy this calm, quietly beautiful sawagurumi basket in your daily life.
Original and uniquely crafted barkwork from Iwate.
In this region blessed with abundant nature, these artisans create their work using materials such as walnut bark and wild grapevine.
Their pieces are rich in variety—both in design and in proportion—and always bring a sense of delight when we encounter them.
They walk the mountains of Iwate themselves, selecting and harvesting only the finest materials. The care they put into preparing each piece of bark, and the time they devote before the weaving even begins, set their work apart. From their distinctive approach to design to the way each basket is brought to life, their craft is truly unlike any other.
