Oita Bamboo Craft

Oita prefecture has large groves madake bamboo, a supple variety suitable for bamboo crafts. Making good use of these madake resources, many places throughout Oita Prefecture produce everyday items such as sieves and baskets.

As the development of Beppu Onsen progressed, the demand for bamboo crafts as souvenirs increased on a par, which led to improvements in quality. As a part of this, training of craftsmen began not only under the apprenticeship system of the private sector but also at educational institutions. The Industrial Apprenticeship School was founded in 1902, where they started to teach new techniques in making flower baskets and square shaped baskets by teachers invited from outside the prefecture.

With a history of over 100 years, Beppu bamboo ware was designated as a "Traditional Craft" (dentōteki kōgeihin) in 1979. The history of Beppu bamboo craft can be seen at the Beppu City Traditional Bamboo Crafts Center. Over time craftsmen, knowledge, and skills accumulated. The art of Beppu bamboo ware became a rich ground that gave birth to many quality artists, such as Shono Shounsai. Their bamboo works are in the collections of Oita Prefectural Art Museum and Oita Art Museum.

Since the later half of 1970s, bamboo artists have emerged. They started to create more artistic works as well as traditional bamboo wares for everyday use. 

Passing on the techniques has become an important issue for the Beppu bamboo crafts, as the industrial sector has shrunk significantly over the years. The training of successors is conducted mainly at the Oita Prefecture Bamboo Craft Training Center, which is the only public training institution for the craft in Japan, and trainees gather from the entire country.