Magewappa
"Odate, Akita Japanese Bending Wood"

Magewappa is a Japanese bending wood technique that has been carried on in Odate City, Akita Prefecture for 1,300 years. In the late 17th century, it developed as a side job for the lower class Samurai of downtown Odate Castle, and in 1980, Odate's Magewappa was designated as the only Japanese traditional craft among all Magewappa in Japan.

Magewappa, Magemono, Magewa

The Japanese bending wood technique sometimes has several similar designations, such as Magewappa, or Magemono, Magewa, etc., which have slightly different meanings.

First, Japanese bending wood techniques are generally referred to as "Magemono". And "Magewappa", refers to the traditional Magemono made in Odate, Akita Prefecture. The term "Magewa" is rarely used, and refers to the ringed part of the Magemono, excluding the bottom, or the technique.

Odate's Magewappa are made of Akita cedar, which is unique to the nature of Akita Prefecture, and are all handcrafted by artisans using techniques that have remained unchanged since the Magemono technique was first established in Japan.

Charm of Magewappa

Magewappa are made from thinly sliced Akita cedar or cypress wood, unique to Akita Prefecture, soaked in boiling water to soften it, quickly bent to fit the shape, dried, and then sewn with cherry bark strip to form a loop, and the bottom is fitted without any gaps.

Magewappa is beautiful and lightweight, easy to carry, and has the advantage that the cedar's antibacterial and moisture retention properties keep the rice inside from getting sore and keep it tasty. The modern Magewappa is made with a urethane coating to increase durability, which gives the Akita cedar a more elegant sheen and allows it to be washed thoroughly with dishwashing detergent and can be used for many years.

History of Magewappa

In 1602, when Yoshinobu Satake, a warlord of the Akita domain, moved to Akita from Mito (Ibaraki Prefecture) with a reduced salary because of his disastrous defeat in the Battle of Sekigahara on the side of Toyotomi. Seeing that lumberjack at the time were making bent wood vessels by splitting straight-sawn cedar boards and using them as lunchboxes, lord Satake encouraged low-ranking Samurai to make the bending wood vessels –Magewappa as a side job, using the abundant forest resources in the territory to alleviate their poverty.

The Magewappa from 1861, which is preserved in Odate City, is an exquisite piece of craftsmanship, and even after more than a hundred years, there is still not the slightest deviation.

It was about 1,300 years ago that Magemono itself were made of Akita cedar in Odate City, as they are today. Oldest Magewappa made in the beginning of the 10th century, which is same in shape to the Magewappa made today. Or, since a container made of zelkova, which appears to be a Magemono, was found among artifacts excavated in 1996 at the Hiratogawa site in Akita City, which dates back to the late Jomon period (about 2,800 years ago), there is a view that the Magemono was already in practical use in the late Jomon period in Japan.

How to Bend Wood –Making Magewappa

More than a dozen processes are involved in the careful work of making a Magewappa, from cutting down Akita cedar logs to lumbering, bending, attaching and stitching, fitting the bottom, and painting and finishing the product. Let us introduce a part of the process of making a Magewappa.

1. Lumbering and boiling

Straight grain portions of the harvested Akita cedar are thinly shaved and boiled to soften them and make them ready for bending. In the making of Odate's Magewappa, only planted cedar trees are cut down in order to preserve the natural cedar.

2. Bending

Softened cedar pieces soaked in boiling water are carefully bent by hand by craftsmen. The wood is then looped to fit the mold, fastened, and allowed to dry before being fixed in shape. This technique is also called Magewa and is unique to Japanese bending wood.

3. Stitching

The joints of the bent cedar rings are incised with a special knife along the grain of the wood and stitched together with a strip of cherry bark called “Kaba". The stitch patterns can be varied, resulting in minimalistic and beautiful designs.

4. Bottoming and finishing

Insert the ring into the bottom and the lid without any gaps. The perfectly fitted parts are as smooth as if they were made of one piece of wood, and this is what makes Magewappa known as a superior tool. The finished product is then coated with urethane or Japanese lacquer and polished.

Popular Makers

Odate Kougeisha

Odate Kougeisha is a Magewappa company established in 1959, continuing the 1300 year old Magewappa manufacturing process while creating various Magewappa designs to fit the modern lifestyle. The company handles the entire process of making Magewappa, from purchasing Akita cedar logs, lumbering, bending, sewing with cherry bark strip, attaching the bottom, and finishing.

Now 26 craftsmen, including 5 traditional craftsmen recognized in Japan, are making Magewappa in Odate Kougeisha.

All of Magewappa items in MUSUBI KILN are made by Odate Kougeisha.