Mage-WAPPA
What is Odate Mage-WAPPA?
Traditional Japanese steam bending wood craft found in Odate City in Akita Prefecture.
Technique and appeal passed down from the Edo period (1603- 1868)
“Magemono (Japanese circular boxes)” made with Akita Prefecture cedar has a history which has continued for approximately 1,300 years, and it is currently designated as a traditional form of craftwork in Japan.
The “WAPPA” in “Mage-WAPPA” refers to containers made with a ring-like shape.
”Mage-WAPPA” involves the extensive use of traditional “magemono” woodworking techniques to bend thin boards made of materials such as cedar and Japanese cypress and to sew seams together with cherry blossom tree bark, a creation finalized with the addition of a bottom and lid.
”Odate Mage-WAPPA,” which comes from Odate City in Akita Prefecture, can be referred to as a representative example of such craftsmanship.
One material component used in the making of Odate Mage-WAPPA is “masame” straight grains (※) made from Akita Prefecture cedar whose annual rings maintain almost the exact same widths between each other.
(※)Masame (straight grains) ”Masame” refers to grain patterns which are lined up straight after right-angle cuts are made in annual rings.
The process of making
This craftsmanship starts with a process called “owari” in which the bark of Akita cedar is peeled to cut out “masame” straight grain boards.
Thin strips of the masame grain portion are then peeled off and softened by dipping it in hot water, after which they are bent to conform to a mold shape called “goro” and left to dry within. This is followed by a process called “kabatoji (birch binding)” involving the sewing together of seams with wild cherry blossom bark and then the subsequent inlaying of a bottom base so as to ensure that there are no gaps. The process is then finished with filing, thus marking the completion of Odate Mage-WAPPA.
The emergence and existence of Odate Mage-WAPPA as an art craft product largely stems from Akita Prefecture cedar, due to its inherent richness in elasticity and its status as a material optimal in use for magemono.
Yet another feature brought to life during the birth of this product is beautifully light and grained white wood and its pleasant fragrance.
The beauty of this wood, in particular, is the result of a traditional technique called “shiraki (plain wood)”which involves product completion through the use of no paint coating whatsoever.
This method accentuates the whiteness and the grain pattern beauty which are both intrinsic to Akita cedar.