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Work in progress

04

技術について

Craftsmanship

​編みの技術

過去と未来を編む

Connect the Past and the Future

複数の籤を編み上げ、ひとつの形を創る。編みが成す模様で表現されるデザインは数百種類を越え、その技術はバッグや財布、家具をはじめとしたインテリアなど日常の中で広く活用されています。わたしたちはこの古くから伝わる技術を継承し、現代とこれからのニーズに活かせるものづくりができるよう、常に技術と技法について探求を続け、様々なアイデアを取り入れてまた新たな可能性を生み出します。それはまるで過去と未来を編むように。

Multiple lots are meticulously woven together to create a single form. There are more than several hundred designs in weaving patterns. The technique can be found in daily life such as bags, wallets, furnitures, and other interior items. We are constantly exploring the tradition with new possibilities to create products that meet the needs of present and ahead. As if we are weaving to connect the past and the future.

Work in progress

01

​About Craftsmanship

Weaving Technology

編みの技術と歴史

We are striving to revive and utilize ancient technology in the modern age.

約5500年前に生まれていた技術

5,500 years of craftsmanship

The art of weaving can trace its history back to the Jomon period, when people hunted, fished, and gathered nuts for daily sustenance. Hand woven pouches made out of tree barks and other materials to store nuts has been excavated from archaeological sites. Using a technique called “Ajiro-weaving" which the materials are woven vertically and horizontally.

Wild grape basket

継承した技術を活かす

Improvement of the craft

A precise and even weave creates a beautiful pattern.
We have inherited this wonderful technique as well as the culture of hand woven baskets. By continuing to study the techniques that was born about 5,500 years ago, we aim to create better and more sophisticated products that meet the needs of the modern age. We are striving to revive and utilize ancient technology in the modern age. 

Wild grape basket
Wild grape basket

02

​About Craftsmanship

Types of Weaving

編みの種類

We are constantly exploring the tradition with new possibilities to create products.

Tessen Ami

編みの種類について

Types of Weaving

The art of weaving was born in ancient times and has developed through the sensibility of many craftsmen up to the present day. 300 to 400 different types of hand weaving patterns have been identified so far. It is one of the techniques that Japanese people are proud of. 

網代編

​網代編

Ajiro-Ami

鉄線編

鉄線編

Tessen-Ami

ござ目編

ござ目編

Gozame-Ami

六角編

六角編

Rokkaku-Ami

石畳編

石畳編

Ishi Datami-Ami

小菊編

小菊編

Kogiku-Ami

編みの種類について

tessen-pattern

Types of Weaving

The art of weaving was born in ancient times and has developed through the sensibility of many craftsmen up to the present day. 300 to 400 different types of hand weaving patterns have been identified so far. It is one of the techniques that Japanese people are proud of. 

網代編

​網代編

Ajiro-Ami

鉄線編

鉄線編

Tessen-Ami

ござ目編

ござ目編

Gozame-Ami

六角編

六角編

Rokkaku-Ami

石畳編

石畳編

Ishi Datami-Ami

小菊編

小菊編

Kogiku-Ami

processing operation

03

​About Craftsmanship

Manufacturing Process

製造工程

We are constantly exploring the tradition with new possibilities to create products.

山葡萄の採取

Collect the wild grape vines

Wild grapes, the source of our baskets are found deep in the mountains. We set a certain standard for the size (diameter) of the vines to be harvested, and those that does not meet the standard will not be harvested. It will be postponed until the following year or later to preserve our resources. In addition, we plant seedlings to maintain the forest.

Tessen Ami

籤造り

Processe into sets of even thickness.

Straight, crooked, twisted. Each vine has its own character, and after tanning and scraping, they are processed into sets of even thickness.This process is the most important step in the basket making, and it is also the most important step in the craftsman's technique, which determines the quality of the basket.

Tessen Ami

​編み上げ

Weave

We start weaving from the bottom part of the basket, and then keep weaving by wrapping the lots around a wooden basket model called last.

Tessen Ami
Weaving

04

​About Craftsmanship

Our Craftsmanship

技術を継ぐ、つなぐ

We are striving to revive and utilize ancient technology in the modern age.

受け継いだ文化を繋いでいく

Passing down the tradition

The skills that have been passed down and cultivated since ancient times have become invaluable due to the simplification of weaving techniques, the aging of craftsmen, and the lack of people to carry on the culture. We at Yama-Biko believe that it is our important role to pass on the skills and know-how we have inherited to the next generation, and to promote the art of weaving by training instructors and craftsmen and by organizing hand weaving basket classes.

basket and vine
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