Near our house is an old little shop where a 90 year old man makes wooden vessels the traditional way. He selects the trees, cuts them down and ages the wood in his yard. He is one of the few people in the entire Tokyo area who still knows how to do all this properly. On the left are Taiko drums he is making from bamboo. Drumming schools from all over Japan are stocking up and sending him many orders as they worry that when he goes it will be impossible to find such good workmanship. In the past he made wooden bathtubs as well.
We got him to make us a wooden rice serving bowl, top left. We want bring it back to Australia but don't want the customs to spray it.
How beautiful - i want to know more: what types of wood, are there different types of bamboo that can be used for the barrels, are they expensive, what are the traditional vanishes used to seal them. so many questions M :-)
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