Magewappa is a traditional Japanese wood craft found in Odate, Akita Prefecture

Akita Prefecture

is a prefecture of Japan located in the Tōhoku Region of northern Honshu, the main island of Japan. The capital is the city of Akita.- History :The area of Akita has been created from the ancient provinces of Dewa and Mutsu....

, Japan

Japan

Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...

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History

Magewappa was first made by woodcutters in the Odate area, using straight grain Akita Cedar. The Lord of Odate Castle, Nishiie Satake, encouraged this use of the soldiers and has been passed on from generation to generation from the end of the Edo period

Edo period

The , or , is a division of Japanese history which was ruled by the shoguns of the Tokugawa family, running from 1603 to 1868. The political entity of this period was the Tokugawa shogunate....

to the present. With the emergence of plastics, it became economically necessary for some craftsmen to change their business. Since then more people are becoming aware of real quality and craftsmanship. Odate Magewappa fits this description perfectly.

Process

For more than four hundred years the people of the area have exploited mountains, planted Japanese cedars, and repeated the process of weeding, pruning, and thinning out the forests every year to protect the beauty and health of the environment for the next generation

Trees

Even though four hundred saplings of Akita cedar are planted, at the end, less than thirty of those would be used to make products. Only Akita cedars over one hundred years old, which have survived the very severe weather conditions of northern Japan, can be bent in the manufacturing process mentioned above. Ones with a knot or even slight discoloration cannot be used.

Special features

The Magewappa products are known for the brilliant elegance of their straight grain, and the light yet rich color. They meet the needs of modern lifestyles.