DESIGN
Kokontozai: KASHIYUKA’s Shop of Japanese Arts and Crafts /[Edo Yuioke]
『カーサ ブルータス』2022年12月号より
December 7, 2022 | Design | KASHIYUKA’s Shop of Japanese Arts and Crafts | photo_Keisuke Fukamizu hair & make-up_Masako Osuga editor_Masae Wako translation_ Mika Yoshida & David G. Imber
Searching all of Japan for handcrafted items that express its heart and soul, our proprietor, KASHIYUKA, presents things that bring a bit of luxury to everyday life. Today’s visit is to a studio in Fukagawa, Tokyo where beautiful, traditionally handcrafted Edo yuioke are made using sawara wood that is over 300 years old.
The goldfish bowl made of a wooden oke tub with glass on its two sides — I remember seeing it in a movie once, long ago, and I immediately sought it out, all the while marveling at how cute it was. “Yuioke goldfish bowls can be seen in the popular ukiyo-e woodblock prints of the Edo era. These oke tubs are practical objects for everyday use. The notion to use it as a goldfish bowl is the sort of thing only the denizens of old Edo could’ve come up with,” says Mr. Eifu Kawamata, 4th-generation head of Oke-Ei, in place some 130-plus years in Fukagawa, which flourished as a center of lumber and woodcraft since the Edo period, 1603-1868.
Mr. Kawamata is the only remaining yuioke maker in Tokyo today. The yuioke may take the form of a tub, bucket, or basin, and it is made by joining strips of wood combined into a round or oblong shape and bound by thin hoops called taga. The wood planes themselves aren’t bent, however, but carved from the log using a curved blade, then connected with identically formed elements to create the shapes. This is particularly characteristic of the Edo yuioke, and the technique was developed during the Kamakura period (1185-1333) to be strong and watertight, perfect for carrying large volumes of water or wine. During the Muromachi period (1333-1573) its popularity spread throughout Japan.
Loading...
Loading...