Since the Edo Period

Ichikawa Basketry Store started out as a tofu vendor in Iriya-Mura (modern day Iriya in Adachi, Tokyo), and sold handwoven baskets on the side for a number of generations.

The First-generation Owner

The first-generation owner sold bamboo baskets and sieves. He was especially skilled at crafting sieves, some of which could be found in restaurants in the Asakusa area.

Around 1890

Relocated to Senju 3-Chome (modern day Kita-Senju in Adachi)

1896

Japan Freight Railway Company’s Sumidagawa Station began service

Around 1900

Moved to Asakusa Tanaka-Machi (modern day Nihonzutsumi in Taito)

The Second-generation Owner

The second-generation owner began making bamboo baskets and sieves in his teenage years. After serving in the Russo-Japanese War, he began selling household items and other goods as well. He was particularly concerned with making kakukago (rectangular baskets) and looked for ways to make them even better. Youths from neighboring prefectures also came to our store to learn their craft from the owner.

1904-1905

The Russo-Japanese War

1911

Store in Asakusa Tanaka-Machi burned down in the Great Fire of Yoshiwara
Relocated to Minami-Senju-Machi in Toshimagun (modern day Minami-Senju in Arakawa) close by

1923

Store burned down again in the Great Kanto Earthquake

The Third-generation Owner

After WWII, bamboo basket production started once again in Senju-Suehiro-Cho (in the modern day Adachi area in the Adachi ward) where the third-generation owner evacuated to. He also made baskets for teacups. For a time in Japan, bamboo baskets were used along with wooden boxes for shipping, but this changed to cardboard boxes in the 1950s-1960s. Moreover, with the rise of plastic boxes at the same time, production of bamboo baskets decreased. For this reason, our store changed around 1970 from being mainly a manufacturing wholesaler to being a retailer.

1945

Store burned down due to airstrikes which set fire to the modern day Minami-Senju 2-Chome area
WWII came to an end

1958

Construction for our two-story building was completed (the current store)

1975

Store name changed to “Ichikawa Store”

1947  When our store was a one-story building

Construction for the current building completed in1958

The Fourth-generation Owner

At this time, the fourth-generation owner was wholesaling and retailing products, as well as stocking handwoven items from all over Japan. They would frequently visit craftspeople particularly in the eastern part of Saitama, the southern part of Tochigi, the western part of Ibaraki, and the northwestern part of Chiba to stock items the owner would request them to make. There was also a demand for Asian bamboo products from countries such as China which were sold at the store. (At this time, as domestic manufacturing of bamboo products decreased, a large amount of inexpensive bamboo products circulated simultaneously throughout Asia.)

He also manufactured bamboo skewers used in Shinto-related religious festivals, and bamboo taiko drum sticks used in Kagura (a type of Shinto ritual ceremonial dance). In addition to these, He also did work involving the strengthening of commercially-used sieves (these sieves were strengthened using wire). They also participated in events put on by department stores, and began mail-order business as well.

1982

The fourth-generation owner took over the business

Around 2005

The online store was opened

1988  The fourth-generation owner inspecting winnows in front of the store

1988  A view of the store from the outside

The Current Owner

Due to the sudden death of the previous owner, the current owner has inherited the store although he came from a different professional background. They visit producing centers as well as craftspeople all over Japan, basking in the charm that each area’s culture and customs have to offer, all the while becoming more and more familiar with the place and the people. Also, one year after inheriting the store, the owner participated in the World Wicker and Weaving Festival held in Poland along with interpreters and other craftspeople. Now they sell foreign handwoven items and maintain relations with craftspeople from foreign countries. In the festival held in 2019, they were able to give a presentation in which they exhibited the different traditional baskets crafted in all parts of Japan, and they were also able to share information about Japanese handwoven products. They currently sell not only domestic works of art, but also a vast array of items from all over the world.

2014

Changed store name to “Ichikawa Store: Bamboo Basketry for Everday Living”

2015

Opened an online store under the same name
Participated in the fourth World Wicker and Weaving Festival (held in Poland)

2019

Participated in the fifth World Wicker and Weaving Festival (held in Poland)

2020

Changed store name to “Ichikawa Basketry Store: Baskets, Sieves, & Winnows for Everyday Living”

2021

Renewed online store

*All information concerning the store’s history from its beginning until the third-generation owner was taken from the third-generation owner’s records.