This is a basket that used to hold fabric in the old days in the Okinawa region. It is called “ŪBāra” in the Okinawan language.

There are other baskets called “Bāki” or “Tīru (Dīru)” in the Okinawan language. This basket has a different appearance from those. Bāki is used for carrying and storing potatoes, grains, etc., while Tīru is a relatively tall basket or container for small items.

On the other hand, this one was originally a basket for storing yarn spun from the fibers of Okinawa’s ”Ito-basho” (a type of banana – Musa balbisiana).

The “Bashō-Fu Textiles” made from these threads is a traditional Okinawan textile that is said to have a history of over 500 years.

This basket is made of “Hedge Bamboo(Hōrai-chiku)”, which is commonly used for bamboo crafts on the main island of Okinawa.

This is Hedge Bamboo(Hōrai-chiku). This type of bamboo does not grow underground stems like Madake bamboo and Thick bamboo(Mōsō), but rather, multiple stems rise from a single stem and stand as a stock. This type of bamboo is often seen in tropical regions such as Southeast Asia.

Hedge Bamboo(Hōrai-chiku) is so familiar to people in Okinawa that they call it “Bāki Bamboo” and often make Bāki (= baskets) with it.

Like “Bāki basket”, this “ŪBāra” is made from Hedge Bamboo (Hōrai-chiku), which grows wild in the northern part of the main island of Okinawa, and is in its second or third year of growth.

It has a soft, swollen shape that will accept plenty of yarn and other materials.
You can fully enjoy the texture of Hedge Bamboo(Hōrai-chiku)’s unique outer skin, which is soft and supple.

It is a weaving pattern of absorbing beauty.

In addition to yarn, at home, as a basket for flowers.
If you can provide a vessel or glass that will fit inside the basket,
we think it would make a gorgeous flower basket.

It would also look great as a fruit basket and contrast in color with the items inside.
It can also be used in the living room or near the sofa to hold shawls and fabric items.

Choose your preferred size, medium or large.

＊＊”Chatan” Bamboo Crafts in Okinawa Main Island＊＊

Until about the 1950s, there were about 40 bamboo craftsmen in Chatan Town, Okinawa Prefecture alone.

Today there is only one.

The only one in the entire Okinawa Prefecture, including the islands outside the main island,
that specializes in bamboo craftsmanship.

Okinawan bamboo crafts are made from Hedge Bamboo (Hōrai-chiku),
a species of bamboo that grows on stumps.
Tropical bamboo is biologically different from Madake bamboo and SASA(bamboo grass).

Hedge Bamboo(Hōrai-chiku) is suitable for bamboo crafts because of its suppleness and softness.
Hedge Bamboo(Hōrai-chiku) accounts for 80% of all Chatan bamboo crafts.

In the past, what was made was determined by town within the main island of Okinawa.
One district would say “Bāki” and another “Tīru” and so on.

Now that there is only one bamboo craftsman, he is in charge of the techniques of the Okinawan main island.
They are working with a flexible mindset to bring Okinawan bamboo crafts to as many people as possible,
including the use of machines for making strips.

He says cheerfully, “I aim not only to preserve tradition, but also to create and develop new bamboo crafts.”

He says cheerfully, “I aim not only to preserve tradition, but also to create and develop new bamboo crafts.”
His attitude toward basket making is so powerful and cheerful that we are energized by his words.