【Reading】まげもの

【English Name】Magemono (Bent Woodware)

A wooden vessel made by shaving hinoki (Japanese cypress) or sugi (cedar) into thin boards, shaping them into strips, bending them into a circle, and binding them with the bark of birch (kaba) or cherry (sakura)—that is magemono. Read "magemono" or "wagemono," the artisans engaged in its making bear the title magemono-shi.

Its origin is traced to the Jomon period. At the Korekawa-Nakai site in Hachinohe City, Aomori Prefecture, lacquered bentwork believed to have been made in the Late Jomon period (about 3,000 years ago) was discovered from the ground. Furthermore, in later eras, traces of Nara-period magemono vessels have been found in well sites at the Heijo Palace site (Nara) and the Izumo Provincial Capital site (Shimane), and bent buckets are also depicted in pictorial materials of the Heian and Kamakura periods. Such accumulations of excavations and documents show that this vessel was woven into people's daily lives over many years.

From the standpoint of its connection with sushi, it has long been prized as a serving vessel and as a takeaway folded box (oribako). Among these, the "magewappa" lunch box is widely cherished, and the humidity-regulating action of wood—absorbing excess moisture and releasing it when dry—provides a practical advantage in maintaining the condition of vinegared rice.

Even today, its lineage as a traditional craft is preserved in various regions, with representative examples including the Odate magewappa of Odate City in Akita Prefecture, the Hakata magemono of Fukuoka, the wappa passed down in the Owase region of Mie, and the magemono of Kiso-Narai in Nagano. However, with the spread of substitute materials compounded by the difficulty of securing raw materials, the trend toward shrinking production scale continues.