Nibutani Ita

Ainu patterns on a tray

Nibutani Ita, or Nibutani trays, are shallow, flat wooden trays made for long everyday use, yet richly carved. Their Ainu patterns include moreu-noka, a swirl; aiushi-noka, a thorn shape; and shiku-noka, an eye shape, set against ramram-noka, a carved fish-scale texture. They are made in Biratori in Hokkaido from walnut or katsura wood, as trays and small items.

Years of drying, then carving

• Logs are sawn into boards and dried naturally for three to four years.
• Each board is flattened, cut to size and rough-carved to shape the base and corners.
• The design is drawn and carved in lines, hollows are cut to deepen the shadows, and double lines are added around the main patterns.
• For the scale texture, a grid is cut and each square is carved up.

Along the Saru River

Nibutani Ita has been handed down for more than a hundred years by the Ainu and others living along the Saru River. Records show that half-moon and round trays from this area were presented as gifts in the mid-19th century.