Across the world, we can still see many craftworks involving a process of ‘weaving’. In Japan too, this process, the act, has been ingrained in common people’s daily lives, and has contributed to creating everyday objects such as sieves for cooking and baskets essential for farming and fishing.
However, the production materials vary regionally. In warmer regions, generally, commonly-growing Madake bamboo is the main material, whereas in colder regions, slenderer bamboo such as Shinodake and Nemagaridake, or trees such as walnut and grape, are utilised. Natural material reflecting regional vegetation is used.
This fact likely illustrates that craftwork has been passed on and adapted to fit the natural features and climate of regions, rather than strictly keeping the original form.

For instance, the material used for the craftwork called Itaya Zaiku (from Kakunodate area in Akita Prefecture) is a young tree of painted maple. When tree is the main material, not bamboo, usually the parts of the tree that are easier to handle are utilised such as skins and vines. But in contrast, Itaya Zaiku typically uses trunks, the inside of the tree skin.
Of course we cannot ‘weave’ a tree trunk. What was invented is a method of waving thin linguine-like materials (called ‘Higo’ in bamboo craft) made by cutting the trunk lengthwise and splitting it along the tree-rings. This process takes time and effort, but the durability and beauty of the finished baskets is irresistible.
It is astonishing that the creativity of the people in Kakunodate came up with such a technical methodology 200 years ago.

Itaya Zaiku was established by farmers as a Winter side-business. Hence it originated to make farming tools such as baskets that are used as a waist container when rice‐planting, and baskets used for winnowing rice.
A horse-shaped folk toy called ‘Itaya Uma’ also began to be made around the same time as baskets and winnows. When holding this simple toy in our hands, it feels like we can picture people’s ordinary lives back then.

One snowy day 200 years ago, a large family warming themselves around a fire in the middle of the house. The master of the house is making materials by splitting trunks of painted maple, with his wife by his side weaving them into baskets. But the work isn’t really productive, because small children who are stuck inside and bored are disturbing the mother. The mother thought what she could do for this situation. After a while, she weaved a little horse with the materials and handed it over to the children. Then magic happened. The children started to play with the horse, and the parents were finally able to concentrate on their jobs…
‘Itaya Uma’ was born as a by‐product of basket making, but when we open the wing of our imagination a little wider, don’t you agree that we can feel a vibrant craft-making scene through the cute figure of the horse?