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Kyoto crafts shopping spotlight: Stylish bamboo bags

2022/02/15

After visiting Atelier Kisetsu in our previous post, we wish to introduce you to its lineup of stylish handwoven bamboo bags.

The product catalogue is of a perfect size: 8 core products, ranging from a small clutch bag to a midsize trunk. All products are made to order with the utmost care from locally sourced materials:

・ Kyoto-grown bamboo of excellent quality;

・Silk fabric decorated using Kyo-yuzen dyeing technique for inner linings;

・Pure silk sanadahimo cords handwoven in Kyoto (originally used for tying wooden boxes for tea utensils);

・Chains and metal fittings provided by a Kansai-based company;

・Japan-produced denim textile for the Tote Bag.

Before being woven into beautiful patterns and becoming a bag, the bamboo must be cut into fine strips. Each strip is carefully trimmed and shaved to be of the exact width and thickness as the others, its edges are smoothed to be pleasant to the touch. Then, the strips are dyed into the signature brown colour, woven without leaving any gaps, coated with urushi lacquer 3 times and polished with a special kind of wax for a shiny textured effect. The result is simply stunning!

Being made of a natural material, the bamboo bag will become even more unique with time. This concept of aging with grace is called wabi-sabi and is very dear to the Japanese.

You can find all the details about the bamboo bags, prices and inquiry form here: https://takekobokisetsu.com/en/products/

Please contact us if you would like to schedule a visit and experience of Kyoto’s bamboo craftsmanship at Hosokawa Hideaki’s workshop.

https://www.kyotoartisans.jp/en/

Words: Anastasiya Bulkavets (ArigatoCreative.co)

Images: courtesy of Takekobo Kisetsu