Magewappa is made from thinly sliced Akita cedar or cypress wood, unique to Akita Prefecture. The wood is soaked in boiling water to soften it, quickly bent into the desired shape, dried, and then sewn with cherry bark strips. Finally, the bottom is fitted precisely, leaving no gaps.

Magewappa items are beautiful, lightweight, and easy to carry. Additionally, the cedar possesses antibacterial and moisture retention properties, which helps the rice packed inside stay delicious and keep from going bad. Modern Magewappa is made with a urethane coating to increase durability. This gives the wood an elegant sheen and allows it to be washed thoroughly with dishwashing detergent, helping it be used for many years.

The Japanese bending wood technique sometimes has several similar designations, such as magewappa, magemono, and magewa. Each is slightly different.

Items made using Japanese wood-bending techniques are generally referred to as magemono. Magewappa refers to traditional magemono made in Odate, Akita Prefecture. The term magewa, though rarely used, refers to the ringed part of magemono, excluding the bottom; it can also refer to the technique itself.

Odate's magewappa are made of Akita cedar, handcrafted by artisans using techniques that have remained unchanged since the magemono technique was first established in Japan.

It was about 1,300 years ago that magemono were first made—crafted from Akita cedar in Odate City, just as they are today. The Odate City Museum has an early magewappa, made in the beginning of the tenth century, that is the same shape as magewappa made today.

There is also an opinion that magemono might date as far back as the late Jomon period, about 2,800 years ago, due to a 1996 excavation of the Hiratogawa site in Akita City of a zelkova-wood container that appears to be a magemono.

In any case, the magemono industry was established in the late seventeenth century, when the lord of Odate Castle encouraged low-ranking samurai to make magewappa as a secondary occupation. Today, most magewappa are traditional Japanese products such as bento boxes and tea trays, but products that match a Western-style lifestyle are also made.