or birch craftsmanship is the traditional Japanese art of fashioning tea boxes, smoking

Smoking

Smoking is a practice in which a substance, most commonly tobacco or cannabis, is burned and the smoke is tasted or inhaled. This is primarily practised as a route of administration for recreational drug use, as combustion releases the active substances in drugs such as nicotine and makes them...

 accessories, and other woodworks out of the bark of a cherry tree

Cherry Tree

Cherry Tree may refer to:* A tree that produces cherries* An ornamental cherry tree that produces cherry blossomsPlaces* Cherry Tree, Pennsylvania, a borough in Indiana County, Pennsylvania, United States* Cherry Tree, Oklahoma...

. The nomenclature is somewhat misleading, as actual birch

Birch

Birch is a tree or shrub of the genus Betula , in the family Betulaceae, closely related to the beech/oak family, Fagaceae. The Betula genus contains 30–60 known taxa...

 bark is almost never used in practice. It is believed that the term 樺, or birch, originally came from the association of white birch or "白樺" with homes in good standing. Thus, 樺 was perhaps used as a marker to signify more the class of artisans more so than the actual art. This, however, is only theory, and currently no explanation is widely-accepted.

Characteristics

Traditional kabazaiku is normally small-scale, and focuses on perfectionist detailing of the usually rounded-shapes made as storage containers for tea and tobacco. Keeping moisture levels relatively constant, the cherry bark acts as a natural insulator against changes in humidity, which is essential in the storage of tea and tobacco leaves. The colour is generally a dark red, partially from the bark itself, and partially from the tree's sap.

Origin

Believed to have originated by Lord Satake in the Northeastern city of Kakunodate

Kakunodate, Akita

Kakunodate is a town located in Senboku, a city in Akita, Japan. Before Senboku became a city, Kakunodate was located in Senboku District.On September 20, 2005 the town merged with the town of Tazawako and the village of Nishiki to form the new city of Semboku.In 2003, the town had an estimated...

, Akita prefecture

Akita Prefecture

is a prefecture of Japan located in the Tōhoku Region of northern Honshu, the main island of Japan. The capital is the city of Akita.- History :The area of Akita has been created from the ancient provinces of Dewa and Mutsu....

 as a secondary vocation for lower-rank samurai

Samurai

is the term for the military nobility of pre-industrial Japan. According to translator William Scott Wilson: "In Chinese, the character 侍 was originally a verb meaning to wait upon or accompany a person in the upper ranks of society, and this is also true of the original term in Japanese, saburau...

, the tradition is said to be over 200 years old. It is passed on today through artisan workshops in the region. The "Kakunodate Kougei Kyohdohkumiai" museum in the town's samurai district has extensive exhibitions of kabazaiku artwork, as well as regular demonstrations for visitors.

Process

The bark of the abundant native cherry trees is first cleaned and treated to make it smooth and uniform. The wood of the tree itself is cut into the desired shape, the bark is then reapplied to the wood using the sap as an adhesive. The application process involves using a small metal trowel which is heated over a fire. Because every surface requires a separate, independently-shaped piece of bark, the labour is quite time-intensive.

Modern application

In addition to tea boxes and tobacco accessories, modern kabazaiku craftsman also create larger-scale wooden artworks intended more for display than for specific use. Kabazaiku clocks, storage containers, calligraphy brushes, and sword sheathes are also produced.

External links

• http://www.city.semboku.akita.jp/sightseeing/densyo/kaba.html
• http://www4.ocn.ne.jp/~kougei/e-index.html