Traditional craft
Suruga Take Sensuji Zaiku
駿河竹千筋細工
Shizuoka bamboo work made of fine, round bamboo rods bent and fitted into rings, used for insect cages, vases and baskets.
Key facts
- Officially recognised
- 15 December 1976
- Type
- Wood and bamboo
- Region
- Chubu
- Official name in Japanese
- 駿河竹千筋細工
- Official area (in Japanese)
- 静岡市
A thousand fine lines
Sensuji means a thousand lines. Suruga Take Sensuji Zaiku bends thin, rounded bamboo rods and fits them into bamboo rings, creating many shapes with a warm, soft feel. It is made in Shizuoka city in Shizuoka as vases, baskets, tea saucers, serving dishes, trays, sweet dishes and delicate insect cages.
Rods, rings, weave, assemble
- Bamboo is split, heated and bent, then thinned and drawn through a die to make round rods.
- Holes are drilled in bamboo rings.
- The rods are woven and fitted into the rings to assemble the piece.
- One craftsman does almost every step, joined with bamboo nails.
Souvenirs of the Tokaido
The craft began in the early Edo period, mainly as side work for samurai. In the mid-19th century a samurai of the Okazaki domain who was skilled in bamboo work taught the techniques to Shimizu Ihei. He used them to make sweet dishes and insect cages, sold as crafts to travellers on the Tokaido road.
Good to know
- A sensuji insect cage was once used to listen to autumn insects sing, an old seasonal pleasure.
- The round rods were chosen so they would not damage the wings or antennae of birds and insects.
Questions travellers ask
What does sensuji mean?
A thousand lines, after the many fine bamboo rods in each piece.
Why are the rods round?
Round rods feel soft and, in bird and insect cages, did not damage wings or antennae.
Where it comes from
More crafts from the same area
Local foods from the same area
Heritage stories from the same area
Sources
We checked the facts on this page against these sources.