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80 years of bamboo
Mrs. Kobayashi sits in her shop. A fruit basket and a bamboo pillow sit in front of her. 99.12.07/ Temperature: 1C/ Weather: Sleet, Snow, Rain/ Wind Direction: NW
Start: Shibata 37 56 58 N 139 29 46 E
Destination: Yasuda 37 46 12 N 139 13 55 E
Distance Traveled: 25.5 kmToday was perhaps the most erratic day of weather. Somehow amidst the rain, sleet, and snow, a window of sunshine filled the sky. It was at this point that I came across a most extraordinary woman who has been working in the bamboo craft trade for almost 80 years.
When I departed Shibata this morning sleet didn't fall from the sky but blew horizontally from west to east across the sky. Though I was walking, the high winds numbing my face reminded me of long days downhill skiing. Pellet-like balls of sleet pounded off of my parka. The showers came as quickly as they went. Rain, snow, and sleet stuck with me until I reached Sasakamimura. Walking down the street I noticed two women seated around a kerosene stove weaving what appeared to be bamboo baskets.
Three hatchets. These blades have raised four children over the 79 years of Mrs. Kobayashi's carrier as a bamboo craftswoman. Stepping inside the small craft shop, the smell of dried bamboo was in the air. Two elderly women sat working diligently. One split thin bamboo shoots into four strips, the other wove the strips into a round shape.
According to Mrs. KOBAYASHI Midori, Sasakamimura used to support many full time bamboo craftsmen. It was in such an environment that she was brought up and actually began weaving with bamboo at the age of 6. She'll be 85 in three days. "I didn't really have a choice. We kids were forced to help our parents. Otherwise our families wouldn't have been able to get along," she explained delightfully. Her cheerfulness and limberness would make one think twice if told that Mrs. Kobayashi is almost 85.
Mrs. Kobayashi held her first hatchet at the age of 6. She said, "My mother made me. I didn't have a choice. That was a long time ago. Thanks to my mom I was able to raise 4 kids and now I have something that I enjoy to do." Lining up the hatchets she has used, Mrs. Kobayashi showed how splitting bamboo over the years has worn away the blades.
Careful precision and patience is necessary to make bamboo baskets. Over the years one's hands become shaped for the craft. "Back in the old days when there was no plastic, people relied more heavily on bamboo products. I have made all kinds of shapes however, large baskets used to sort rice from rice chaff were our best sellers. Now I am certified to make 22 different types of baskets and can make almost anything that customers might want." Holding up a bamboo pot rest, she explained how only recently she had added a strip of bamboo along the bottom so the center of the pot wouldn't burn the table. She's 85, healthy and still quite innovative.
Mrs. Kobayashi's skills do not end with her alone. She has been teaching to the old-age home, as well as passed on the skills to her children. Approaching her job with an enthusiasm that could charm the gloomiest visitor, she keeps herself entertained as well as carries on a skill of many generations.
From my visit today I felt that we could learn from Mrs. Kobayashi's enthusiasm as well as her efforts to continue to innovate, not to mention that she carries a tradition of weaving that goes back for generations. Mrs. Kobayashi also spoke briefly about the use of bamboo prior to the use of plastics. Taking hints from this, I thought there may be ways to apply Mrs. Kobayashi's skills to suit our current living, particularly concerning trash.
Can you think of any ways that bamboo might be able to be utilized today?
Greg
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