Lightness, strength and flexibility are the hallmarks of bamboo. So it’s no wonder the woody grass has been used for centuries for practical purposes. It’s only been in the last 70 years or so, though ...

I feel that the pieces I make must have musical qualities, changes in rhythm, a series of climaxes, and an overall harmony. --Shôno Shôunsai (1904-1974), bamboo basket maker and Living National ...

When Japan opened up to the world in the middle of the 19th century, Western merchant ships were quick to return home with exotic art from the once reclusive nation. The private galleries and ...

In Japan you can walk through a bamboo grove to a temple where the fence, the water scoop for ritual purification and the flower baskets at the shrine are all made of bamboo. Like rice, another member ...