Bamboo is very common in Japanese life. There are many bamboos in Asia, and there are more than 200 kinds of bamboo in Japan.


Therefore, the Japanese people have been familiar with the nature of bamboo since ancient times, and the development history of bamboo craftsmanship has a long history.


Bamboo-based household utensils are full of daily life, including storage utensils such as bamboo baskets and bamboo baskets, tea ceremony utensils such as tea spoons and water fingers, and toys such as bamboo dragonflies.


Bamboo weaving became an important ritual prop for Japanese tea ceremony and flower ceremony.


Since the 1880s, bamboo weaving began to break through the category of daily necessities and gradually evolved into works of art. Continuously absorbing modern Western structuralism and other artistic concepts, there are more modern interpretation methods such as bamboo carving.


The following are several bamboo art artists, let us appreciate the charm and splendor of bamboo art together.


1. Fujinuma Noi


"Before I became a bamboo artist, I was a photographer, so I knew the best angle to show the delicate interior space of my work," said Fujinuma.


It takes force to weave this bamboo, but if you push too hard it will break, so listen carefully to the sound of the bamboo and try to calm down as you push.


2. Kajihara Aya


She is the first and only woman to receive full membership of the Japan Crafts Association. When she married the famous bamboo painter Kajihara Mitsumine, she gradually developed an interest in bamboo art and entered a vocational school.


People are always involuntarily attracted by these flexible, undulating curves, and the hollowed-out black lines endow the work with spatial depth.


3. Sugita Shizuyama


He lost his hearing due to illness when he was 13 years old. In junior high school, he was attracted to bamboo art, took related courses and became a professional bamboo artist.


He adds the concept of industrial design to his works and is good at creating round and gentle bamboo basket shapes.


4. Hajime Nakatomi


He studied in a top private university equivalent to Harvard or Yale University in the United States and studied pottery. Later, when he met Shono Shounsai, the current Japanese national treasure-level craftsman, he saw him push bamboo basket weaving to a new art.


The height was shocked, so Nakaomi turned to specialize in bamboo art creation. As a young bamboo artist, Nakaomi is committed to giving his works a modern look.


Geometric figures often appear in his works, and the dynamic patterns contrast sharply with the static bamboo weave carrier.


5. Oilcloth Changbo


It is believed that no material can be as flexible and rigid as bamboo. When stretched, it becomes extremely hard, strong, and sometimes soft, with a tender expression.


Oilcloth Changbo's work is known for bamboo baskets that incorporate plant roots. The jagged roots are intertwined with slender bamboo strips, giving a primitive and wild beauty.


6. Yamaguchi Ryuun


After graduating from Beppu City Vocational Training School, Yamaguchi studied under Ikuno Shounsai, the first national treasure in the field of bamboo crafts. He was inspired by the broken and connected waves, and the flickering and shaking flames in the wind.


Many of his works are collected by European and American art lovers. One of the features of his works is that they make full use of the flexibility of bamboo to present a graceful wavy style.


7. Mori Shangren


Morikami's bamboo sculptures almost perfectly demonstrate how handicrafts can reach the height of works of art. He is extremely good at capturing abstract forms of things.


Japanese bamboo artisans have been weaving bamboo baskets from bamboo for thousands of years. These baskets, some used for flowers and some used in tea ceremonies, are highly regarded for their natural flavor and tranquil beauty.


The Western love for Japanese bamboo can be traced back to the second half of the 19th century. Japanese art has attracted great interest from Western artists and the general public because of its strong oriental flavor.


Ukiyo-e printmaking deeply influenced the Impressionist masters of Van Gogh at that time, and bamboo art was one of them.