Craft Bamboo Chopsticks in the Kyoto’s Bamboo Heartland

Shop & Gallery Chikubuen, Herald of Bamboo’s Beauty and Craft Charm

Once known as the Kinsuitei Chikubuen, the gallery sits adjacent to the Nagaoka Tenmangu shrine forest, where it originally served as an inn for travelers to the 1970 Osaka Expo. It was built by the restaurant Kinsuitei – which, apropos of its encircling bamboo grove, specialized in dishes made with bamboo shoots. Meanwhile, Takano Chikko has produced highly original artisanal pieces, tea sets, and daily use utensils that spread joy, and worked to support Kyoto’s bamboo craft industry and traditions.

Takako Chikko’s exclusive shop and gallery sits in a renovated former inn, nestled in a bamboo grove enclosure

Takano Chikko holds domestic and international exhibitions in addition to working with overseas automakers to develop sustainable products. The workshop strives for a recycling-oriented production chain capitalizing on Japan’s forgotten bamboo groves and the building material discarded from renovations of such historical temples Kinkakuji, Ginkakuji, Shokokuji, and Myokian (a.k.a. “Taian”), the last of which has a tea room counted as a national treasure. This focus on repurposed material places importance on life extension of old construction lumber as usable wooden utensils and on passing on one-of-a-kind historical material culture into the hands of new generations.

The gallery’s tea ceremony corner acts as a venue for bamboo craft workshops

Learn about the Bamboo Harvesters Driving a Renewed Exploration of the Possible

Takano Chikko is the intersection of a variety of artisanal professionals, including bamboo harvesters, crafters, joiners, lacquerers, and maki-e lacquer gilding artists. The bamboo harvesters maintain their groves, cut down the stalks, and are vital for securing beautiful, durable bamboo.

A lovely bamboo grove surrounds Chikubuen, extending into its courtyard

Weather permitting, enjoy stepping into the courtyard bamboo garden and surrounding grove to learn about the various kinds of Japanese bamboo and their ecology while looking at the real thing up close. (The same talk will be held indoors in the case of inclement weather.) Bamboo grows naturally in Japan, and has been an essential resource since ancient times. Its flexibility let it be woven into baskets, its hollow shape allowed it to be turned into storage vessels and tableware, and its strength lent itself to building construction. Over the Muromachi period and subsequent Azuchi-Momoyama, together spanning from 1336-1603, its value steadily increased alongside the proliferation of tea ceremony.

Takano Chikko’s artisanal tea paraphernalia

Cultivated bamboo plantations in Japan have been on the steady decline since peaking at 150,000 hectares in the 1970s. Abandoned plantations have become a major concern. Takano Chikko works to maintain local groves, monitor growth, and both curate and harvest high-grade bamboo. It has also been expanding its project to foster a recycling-oriented culture through volunteer bamboo grove maintenance activities and upcycling of wood.

Carving and Planing Chopsticks by Your Hand, for Your Hand

Probably the most famous property of bamboo is its balance between low weight and high strength and flexibility. This allows it to retain its integrity even when cut into very small pieces, making it the perfect material for high-quality, fine-tipped chopsticks, a common application in Japan. In this experience, you will make a set for yourself. Start by choosing the shape and pattern you like from several available bases, and then plane three of the four sides until the thickness reaches ideal comfort in your hand. Finally, smooth-polish the surface, leaving behind just one side with the natural texture of bamboo skin. 

Planing each face of the chopsticks with a purpose-built toolset

Chopsticks that fit your hand like they were designed for it – because they were

As an alternative, craft a bamboo flower vase instead of chopsticks. Guests who go with this option will also get the opportunity to try a single-flower ikebana flower-arrangement experience. After choosing a base design in accordance with the natural shape and surface pattern of the bamboo, you’ll drill holes and attach metal fittings to complete your vase. Finally, you’ll arrange your flower in the completed work with a mind to aesthetic placement and framing, gaining insights on the relationship between Japanese culture and cultivated natural beauty.

Finished products of the optional flower vase making experience

Once a common sight, thatched-roof homes in Japan are becoming rarer. Bamboo was commonly used for attic space and roof support construction in these homes, and it could undergo centuries of aging bathed in smoke from the hearth, developing a gorgeous amber hue. Such smoke-aged bamboo is known as susutake, and no two pieces are alike. Choose the one that speaks to you.

Luxuriate in Tea Time and Traditional Confectionery Served in Artisanal Tableware

Finish out the experience with matcha tea and traditional Japanese confectionery served in Takano Chikko artisanal bamboo vessels. Sweets are supplied fresh by Kikuharu, a Nagaokakyo local confectioner, but these fresh confections can also be substituted for dried sweets upon request. Savor Kyoto-grown matcha tea in a bamboo cup finished with Takano Chikko’s signature lacquer.

Fresh confections for every season

Japanese artisans have been working to enhance and highlight the natural charms of their materials since time immemorial. Takano Chikko proudly carries on this tradition, working its bamboo with meticulous care and repurposing historical material from the renovation of temples and shrines. Luxuriate in this rustic sophistication alongside the gustatory pleasures of traditional refreshments and matcha tea.

Bamboo’s Unmistakably Unique Texture, a Treat for the Fingertips

Exclusively to Wabunka guests who opt to craft chopsticks, take home your choice of a souvenir bamboo chopstick rest made in animal or vegetable shape.

Chopstick rests in such fetching forms as pine, bamboo, and plum – the festive trinity of Japanese flora in congratulatory motifs. See also the top-left bamboo shoot design, a Takano Chikko original.

Do not hesitate to ask the staff any of your questions while enjoying your matcha tea. Learn about the history of bamboo, its historical role in Japanese culture, and its unique aesthetics. Feeling it in your own hands gives you an unfiltered appreciation for its texture and physicality, and for the natural soothing comfort that this characteristic Japanese material can bring.