KOHCHOSAI KOSUGA, Authentic Japanese Bamboo Crafts from Kyoto

KOHCHOSAI KOSUGA is a brand of bamboo products founded in Kyoto, Japan. Since 1898, the brand has produced various kinds of bamboo crafts to enrich our lives.

Bamboo is a material of which has been used for ages in Japan. KOHCHOSAI KOSUGA makes full use of characteristics bamboo has and has manufactured home accessories and kitchen utensils since its foundation.

Bamboo and Japanese culture

When you talk about bamboo, how would you describe the plant? It looks like an upright wood, but it is not. It is an evergreen perennial flowering plant, which is classified as glass family. While a wood becomes thicker as it grows, bamboo has a maximum limit to grow. The width would be about 10-20cm / 4-8inches even if it is grown completely.

Bamboo has surprisingly strong vitality. It produces many clumps during the wet season and from this characteristic, bamboo is symbolized fertility and is recognized as a lucky charm in some areas.

Since old times, chopsticks and baskets are widely made of bamboo in Japan. Bamboo is hardly distorted and has high elasticity, and these features become an advantage to manufacture products.

Additionally, bamboo baskets and bamboo utensils like whisks and spoons has played an important role in Japanese tea ceremony, flower arrangement and incense ceremony. With the traditional Japanese culture, a lot of bamboo crafts have been passed down for generations.

Woven bamboo products

Thanks to the rich elasticity of bamboo, the material does not break easily even if you slice or bend the material. KOHCHOSAI KOSUGA manufactures marvelous woven baskets that most of the process is done by hand.

ROUND BAMBOO BASKET

ROUND BAMBOO BASKET is a woven container with a lid. An artisan weaves thin bamboo bands and makes a beautiful pattern of a hexagon. You may be surprised how bamboo is flexible, lightweight, and hardly breakable. The basket would be useful for storing small items.

SMALL BAMBOO BASKET

SMALL BAMBOO BASKET is also woven by hand. You would find the bamboo mottled with brown. The kind of bamboo is called Toratake in Japanese, which literally means "tiger bamboo" because of the motley pattern. The bottom and the handle of the basket are well reinforced by additional bamboo bands to keep its durability.

BAMBOO PLACEMAT

BAMBOO PLACEMAT is useful for everyday dining. Weaving into squares is one of the techniques of weaving bamboo. It looks well-ordered and becomes so thin. In addition, the placemat is covered with a urethane coating that makes the surface resistant to water and stain.

Bamboo kitchen utensils

As we mentioned above, since bamboo is hardly distorted, it has been a useful material to produce kitchen utensils, which needs long-lasting stability.

BAMBOO LUNCH BOX

A lunch box must be easy and functional to place ingredients and carry them safely. BAMBOO LUNCH BOX is a simple lunch box with a neat shape of a cube. Without any metal parts, the lid is designed to close tightly, and the small partition is easy to place anywhere you want to divide. It has enough width and depth to place your favorite meals.

BAMBOO KITCHEN UTENSILS SET OF 4

BAMBOO KITCHEN UTENSILS includes a grater, ten pairs of chopsticks, a rice paddle and a spatula. All of them are made of bamboo and packaged in a box. The edges of the grater are designed largely to grate firm ingredients like a radish. Resilient bamboo utensils are gentle on other pans and plates and become your practical tools.

TWO PAIRS OF BAMBOO CHOPSTICKS WITH URUSHI

Bamboo chopsticks have remarkably straightened shape. They are lightweight and easy to hold. KOHCHOSAI KOSUGA's chopsticks are made so thin and covered with urushi. Urushi is a natural lacquer produced from an Urushi tree. It makes bamboo strong and enduring.

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