Bambooworking
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Bambooworking is the activity or skill of making items from
bamboo Bamboos are a diverse group of evergreen perennial flowering plants making up the subfamily Bambusoideae of the grass family Poaceae. Giant bamboos are the largest members of the grass family. The origin of the word "bamboo" is uncertain, ...
, and includes
architecture Architecture is the art and technique of designing and building, as distinguished from the skills associated with construction. It is both the process and the product of sketching, conceiving, planning, designing, and constructing building ...
, carpentry, furniture and
cabinetry A cabinet is a case or cupboard with shelves and/or drawers for storing or displaying items. Some cabinets are stand alone while others are built in to a wall or are attached to it like a medicine cabinet. Cabinets are typically made of wood (s ...
,
carving Carving is the act of using tools to shape something from a material by scraping away portions of that material. The technique can be applied to any material that is solid enough to hold a form even when pieces have been removed from it, and ...
,
joinery Joinery is a part of woodworking that involves joining pieces of wood, engineered lumber, or synthetic substitutes (such as laminate), to produce more complex items. Some woodworking joints employ mechanical fasteners, bindings, or adhesives, ...
, and
weaving Weaving is a method of textile production in which two distinct sets of yarns or threads are interlaced at right angles to form a fabric or cloth. Other methods are knitting, crocheting, felting, and braiding or plaiting. The longitudinal ...
. Its historical roots in Asia span cultures, civilizations, and millennia, and is found across
East East or Orient is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from west and is the direction from which the Sun rises on the Earth. Etymology As in other languages, the word is formed from the fac ...
, South, and
Southeast Asia Southeast Asia, also spelled South East Asia and South-East Asia, and also known as Southeastern Asia, South-eastern Asia or SEA, is the geographical south-eastern region of Asia, consisting of the regions that are situated south of mainlan ...


History

Bamboo has hundred of species and grows in large swathes across parts of
East East or Orient is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from west and is the direction from which the Sun rises on the Earth. Etymology As in other languages, the word is formed from the fac ...
, South, and
Southeast Asia Southeast Asia, also spelled South East Asia and South-East Asia, and also known as Southeastern Asia, South-eastern Asia or SEA, is the geographical south-eastern region of Asia, consisting of the regions that are situated south of mainlan ...
. Along with
wood Wood is a porous and fibrous structural tissue found in the stems and roots of trees and other woody plants. It is an organic materiala natural composite of cellulose fibers that are strong in tension and embedded in a matrix of lignin ...
,
stone In geology, rock (or stone) is any naturally occurring solid mass or aggregate of minerals or mineraloid matter. It is categorized by the minerals included, its Chemical compound, chemical composition, and the way in which it is formed. Rocks ...
,
sand Sand is a granular material composed of finely divided mineral particles. Sand has various compositions but is defined by its grain size. Sand grains are smaller than gravel and coarser than silt. Sand can also refer to a textural class o ...
,
clay Clay is a type of fine-grained natural soil material containing clay minerals (hydrous aluminium phyllosilicates, e.g. kaolin, Al2 Si2 O5( OH)4). Clays develop plasticity when wet, due to a molecular film of water surrounding the clay par ...
and animal parts, bamboo was one of the first materials worked by early humans. The development of civilization was closely tied to the development of increasingly greater degrees of skill in working these materials. Just like
woodworking Woodworking is the skill of making items from wood, and includes cabinet making (cabinetry and furniture), wood carving, joinery, carpentry, and woodturning. History Along with stone, clay and animal parts, wood was one of the first mate ...
, it came to be used for
bamboo construction Bamboo can be utilized as a building material for scaffolding, bridges, houses and buildings. Bamboo, like wood, is a natural composite material with a high strength-to-weight ratio useful for structures. Bamboo's strength-to-weight ratio is simi ...
,
bamboo textiles Bamboo textile is any cloth, yarn or clothing made from bamboo fibres. While historically used only for structural elements, such as bustles and the ribs of corsets, in recent years different technologies have been developed that allow bamboo fib ...
, bamboo and wooden slips,
bamboo musical instruments Bamboos natural hollow form makes it an obvious choice for many musical instruments. Overview Bamboo has been used to create a variety of instruments including flutes, mouth organs, saxophones, trumpets, drums, xylophones. Flutes There are num ...
,
bamboo weaving Bamboo weaving is a type of bambooworking in which two distinct sets of bamboo strips are interlaced at normally right angles to form an object. The longitudinal lengths of bamboo are called the Warp (weaving), warp and the lateral lengths are kn ...
, and many other areas.


China

Bamboo's long life makes it a Chinese symbol of uprightness. The rarity of its blossoming has led to the flowers' being regarded as a sign of impending famine. This may be due to rats feeding upon the profusion of flowers, then multiplying and destroying a large part of the local food supply. In
Chinese culture Chinese culture () is one of the world's oldest cultures, originating thousands of years ago. The culture prevails across a large geographical region in East Asia and is extremely diverse and varying, with customs and traditions varying grea ...
, the bamboo, plum blossom,
orchid Orchids are plants that belong to the family Orchidaceae (), a diverse and widespread group of flowering plants with blooms that are often colourful and fragrant. Along with the Asteraceae, they are one of the two largest families of flowerin ...
, and chrysanthemum (often known as ''méi lán zhú jú'' 梅兰竹菊) are collectively referred to as the
Four Gentlemen In Chinese art, the Four Gentlemen or Four Noble Ones (), literally meaning "Four Junzi", is a collective term referring to four plants: the plum blossom, the orchid, the bamboo, and the chrysanthemum. The term compares the four plants to Confuci ...
. These four plants also represent the four seasons and, in
Confucian Confucianism, also known as Ruism or Ru classicism, is a system of thought and behavior originating in ancient China. Variously described as tradition, a philosophy, a religion, a humanistic or rationalistic religion, a way of governing, or ...
ideology, four aspects of the ''
junzi A junzi ( or "Son of the Monarch") is a Chinese philosophical term often translated as "gentleman," "superior person",Sometimes "exemplary person". Paul R. Goldin translates it "noble man" in an attempt to capture both its early political and la ...
'' ("prince" or "noble one"). The
pine A pine is any conifer tree or shrub in the genus ''Pinus'' () of the family Pinaceae. ''Pinus'' is the sole genus in the subfamily Pinoideae. The World Flora Online created by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew and Missouri Botanical Garden accepts ...
(''sōng'' 松), the bamboo (''zhú'' 竹), and the plum blossom (''méi'' 梅) are also admired for their perseverance under harsh conditions, and are together known as the "
Three Friends of Winter The Three Friends of Winter is an art motif that comprises the pine, bamboo, and plum. . The Chinese celebrated the pine, bamboo and plum together, as they observed that these plants do not wither as the cold days deepen into the winter season ...
" (岁寒三友 ''suìhán sānyǒu'') in Chinese culture. Bamboo, one of the "
Four Gentlemen In Chinese art, the Four Gentlemen or Four Noble Ones (), literally meaning "Four Junzi", is a collective term referring to four plants: the plum blossom, the orchid, the bamboo, and the chrysanthemum. The term compares the four plants to Confuci ...
" (bamboo, orchid, plum blossom and chrysanthemum), plays such an important role in traditional Chinese culture that it is even regarded as a behavior model of the gentleman. As bamboo has features such as uprightness, tenacity, and hollow heart, people endow bamboo with integrity, elegance, and plainness, though it is not physically strong. Countless poems praising bamboo written by ancient Chinese poets are actually metaphorically about people who exhibited these characteristics. According to laws, the Tang dynasty Chinese poet,
Bai Juyi Bai Juyi (also Bo Juyi or Po Chü-i; ; 772–846), courtesy name Letian (樂天), was a renowned Chinese poet and Tang dynasty government official. Many of his poems concern his career or observations made about everyday life, including as g ...
(772–846), thought that to be a gentleman, a man does not need to be physically strong, but he must be mentally strong, upright, and perseverant. Just as a bamboo is hollow-hearted, he should open his heart to accept anything of benefit and never have arrogance or prejudice. The use of bamboo in Neolithic China is well established as the Chinese were among the first civilizations to employ the use of bamboo. The cultivation and application of bamboo has played an important in the development of Chinese civilization from prehistoric times to the present. From prehistoric times to the present, bamboo has been used extensively in one form or another as the use of bamboo affected the everyday life of Chinese civilization. Chinese poets extolled this plant and Chinese painters cherished the plant's beauty and grace through paintings across various Chinese dynasties. Archaeological ruins signifying the Chinese use of bamboo for vessels and containers, woven baskets to mats dating back to the Neolithic era were unearthed from Qianshanyang, Zhejiang. Around 6000 BC, bamboo motifs were used to decorate the neolithic pottery of the Yangshao culture and bamboo baskets dating back to 2000 BC have been discovered in addition to bamboo slips that were used as a writing surface dating from the Warring States period (475 - 221 BC). Bamboo during prehistoric China was used for a variety of purposes such as rafts, fans, cutting knives, arrowheads, chisels, needles, saw blades, cooking utensils, loomweights and writing tools. There are about 300 species of bamboo found in China, the greatest number of any country covering 12,350 square miles. The Chinese appreciated bamboo as the material was strong and pliant. Bamboo leaves were often depicted in Chinese art. In addition, the use of bamboo was employed to make a wide variety of daily items such as containers, chopsticks, hats, trays, mats, baskets, umbrellas, rafts, building materials, fences, drilling materials, weapons, medicine, musical instruments, pipelines and raincoats. Thin strips of bamboo were woven together and the stalks were heated and bent to make chairs, beds, drawers, tables, and folding screens.


Japan

More than six hundred species of
bamboo Bamboos are a diverse group of evergreen perennial flowering plants making up the subfamily Bambusoideae of the grass family Poaceae. Giant bamboos are the largest members of the grass family. The origin of the word "bamboo" is uncertain, ...
grow in Japan, including the ''
Phyllostachys bambusoides ''Phyllostachys bambusoides'', commonly called , giant timber bamboo, or Japanese timber bamboo, is a species of flowering plant in the bamboo subfamily of the grass family Poaceae, native to China, and possibly also to Japan. Description ''Phyl ...
'' variety, which can grow to a height of 15–22 m and a diameter of 10–15 cm. Although defined as a subfamily of grasses, bamboo is characterized by its woody culm and a root system that can form either aggressive runners or thick, slowly spreading clusters. Bamboo is a common theme in Japanese literature and a favoured subject of painters. Along with the evergreen pine and plum, which is the first flower of spring, bamboo is a part of the traditional
Three Friends of Winter The Three Friends of Winter is an art motif that comprises the pine, bamboo, and plum. . The Chinese celebrated the pine, bamboo and plum together, as they observed that these plants do not wither as the cold days deepen into the winter season ...
. The three are a symbol of steadfastness, perseverance, and resilience. Japanese artists have often represented bamboo enduring inclement weather, such as rain or snow, reflecting its reputation for being flexible but unbreakable, and its association with steadfastness and loyalty. is a traditional
Japanese craft Traditional in Japan have a long tradition and history. Included in the category of traditional crafts are handicrafts produced by an individual or a group, as well as work produced by independent studio artists working with traditional craft m ...
with a range of fine and decorative arts, and has been used for traditional architecture as well as for utilitarian objects such as fans, tea scoops, and flower baskets. Objects were used in the 8th century for Buddhist rituals and one of the oldest surviving baskets is housed in the Shōsō-in in Nara. The 16th century tea master
Sen no Rikyū , also known simply as Rikyū, is considered the historical figure with the most profound influence on ''chanoyu,'' the Japanese "Way of Tea", particularly the tradition of '' wabi-cha''. He was also the first to emphasize several key aspects ...
(1522–1591) advocated for a simple, austere tea style (''wabi-cha'') with natural or seemingly artless utensils. These tea utensils established a Japanese bamboo art distinct from the imported Chinese style. Examples of tea utensils made out of bamboo are lid rests (''futaoki'' 蓋置), flower vessels (''take-hanaire'' 花入), basketry flower vessels (''kago-hanaire'') which are usually reserved for use in the warm season, kettle mats (''takekamashiki'' 釜敷), ash receptacle bamboo tubes (''haifuki'' 灰吹), ladles (''hishaku'' 柄杓), tea scoops (''chashaku'' 茶杓), and whisks (''chasen'' 茶筅). Tea masters have traditionally carved their own scoops, providing them with a bamboo storage tube (''tsutsu''), as well as a poetic name (''mei'' 銘) that will often be inscribed on the storage tube. Recognition of bamboo craftsmanship as a traditional Japanese decorative art began in the end of the 19th century, and became accepted as an art form. Apart from carving bamboo, another important area is
bamboo weaving Bamboo weaving is a type of bambooworking in which two distinct sets of bamboo strips are interlaced at normally right angles to form an object. The longitudinal lengths of bamboo are called the Warp (weaving), warp and the lateral lengths are kn ...
. Supplemental usage of bamboo in architecture can include scaffolding, windows, walls, fences, and water pipes such as ''
shishi-odoshi (literally, "deer-frightening" or "boar-frightening"), in a wide sense, refers to Japanese devices made to frighten away animals that pose a threat to agriculture, including ''kakashi'' (scarecrows), ''naruko'' (clappers) and ''sōzu''. In a n ...
''. Items for catching, transporting, and preparing food can include cages, baskets, cooking vessels, rollers, and
chopsticks Chopsticks ( or ; Pinyin: ''kuaizi'' or ''zhu'') are shaped pairs of equal-length sticks of Chinese origin that have been used as kitchen and eating utensils in most of East and Southeast Asia for over three millennia. They are held in the do ...
. Items for personal hygiene carved out of bamboo are traditional
comb A comb is a tool consisting of a shaft that holds a row of teeth for pulling through the hair to clean, untangle, or style it. Combs have been used since prehistoric times, having been discovered in very refined forms from settlements dating ba ...
s, earpicks, and toothpicks. Personal Items such as
hat A hat is a head covering which is worn for various reasons, including protection against weather conditions, ceremonial reasons such as university graduation, religious reasons, safety, or as a fashion accessory. Hats which incorporate mecha ...
s and
shoe A shoe is an item of footwear intended to protect and comfort the human foot. They are often worn with a sock. Shoes are also used as an item of decoration and fashion. The design of shoes has varied enormously through time and from culture ...
s out of thin strips were made, as well as
parasol An umbrella or parasol is a folding canopy (building), canopy supported by wooden or metal ribs that is usually mounted on a wooden, metal, or plastic pole. It is designed to protect a person against rain or sunburn, sunlight. The term ''umbr ...
s and fans. Bamboo was also crafted into weapons such as the ''
yumi is the Japanese term for a bow. As used in English, refers more specifically to traditional Japanese asymmetrical bows, and includes the longer and the shorter used in the practice of and , or Japanese archery. The was an important wea ...
'' and arrows,
spear A spear is a pole weapon consisting of a shaft, usually of wood, with a pointed head. The head may be simply the sharpened end of the shaft itself, as is the case with fire hardened spears, or it may be made of a more durable material fasten ...
s, and for martial arts such as the ''
shinai A is a Japanese sword typically made of bamboo used for practice and competition in ''kendo''. ''Shinai'' are also used in other martial arts, but may be styled differently from ''kendo shinai'', and represented with different characters. T ...
''.
Bamboo textile Bamboo textile is any cloth, yarn or clothing made from bamboo fibres. While historically used only for structural elements, such as bustles and the ribs of corsets, in recent years different technologies have been developed that allow bamboo fib ...
s could be won to be used for ropes and even woven as a fabric. A whole range of musical wind instruments are also crafted out of bamboo, such as the '' hotchiku'', ''
kagurabue The is a six or seven-hole transverse bamboo flute used to support Japanese kagura performance. The Kagurabue can also be known as a yamatobue.(2) References 2 Malm, William P (1959). Japanese music and musical instruments ( st ed.. p54. ...
'', ''
komabue The ("Koma flute") is a transverse bamboo flute, a fue that is used in traditional Japanese court music. Construction The ''komabue'' is typically constructed from bamboo. It is a transverse flute with six finger-holes. It is 36 cm, shorter ...
'', ''
minteki The ''minteki'' (kanji: 明笛; also called ''shinteki'' (kanji: 清笛)) is a Japanese transverse bamboo flute, a fue. It was first introduced to Japan from China in 1629. It is found in minshingaku (明清楽) ensembles.nohkan The is a high pitched, Japanese transverse bamboo flute, or . It is commonly used in traditional Imperial Noh and Kabuki theatre. The nohkan flute was created by Kan'ami and his son Zeami in the 15th century, during the time when the two were ...
'', ''
ryūteki The is a Japanese transverse '' fue'' made of bamboo. It is used in gagaku, the Shinto classical music associated with Japan's imperial court. The sound of the ''ryūteki'' is said to represent the dragons which ascend the skies between the ...
'', '' shakuhachi'', ''
shinobue The ''shinobue'' (kanji: 篠笛; also called ''takebue'' (kanji: 竹笛) in the context of Japanese traditional arts) is a Japanese transverse flute or fue that has a high-pitched sound. It is found in hayashi and nagauta ensembles, and plays ...
'', and ''
yokobue A is a Japanese transverse flute or fue. The various types include the Komabue, Nōkan, Ryūteki and Shinobue. These flutes have an extra closed chamber (for improved timbre and tonal qualities) that extends past the chin to the left shoulder ...
''. The
Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry The or METI, is a ministry of the Government of Japan. It was created by the 2001 Central Government Reform when the Ministry of International Trade and Industry (MITI) merged with agencies from other ministries related to economic activities ...
designated it a traditional craft with the following groups: * Edo Wadanpo (Tokyo) * Suruga Bamboo Chikusa (Shizuoka) * Osaka Kanemonen (Osaka) * Takayama Chara (Nara) * Katsuyama Bamboo Works (Okayama Prefecture) * Beppu Bamboo Works (Oita Prefecture) * Miyakonojo big bow (Miyazaki) File:Utensiles pour la cérémonie du thé.jpg, Bamboo tea utensils such as the whisk, fan, and scoop File:Bamboo Flowerpot Sen no Rikyu ONKYOKU.jpg, Flower vase ''Onkyoku'', by Sen no Rikyū, 16th century File:Tokugawa Kendo.jpg, ''
Kendō is a modern Japanese martial art, descended from kenjutsu (one of the old Japanese martial arts, swordsmanship), that uses bamboo swords (shinai) as well as protective armor (bōgu). Today, it is widely practiced within Japan and has spread ...
'' fight with bamboo ''
shinai A is a Japanese sword typically made of bamboo used for practice and competition in ''kendo''. ''Shinai'' are also used in other martial arts, but may be styled differently from ''kendo shinai'', and represented with different characters. T ...
'', in the background a bamboo fence File:Portrait de courtisane (musée Guimet) (15516789331).jpg, ''
ukiyo-e Ukiyo-e is a genre of Japanese art which flourished from the 17th through 19th centuries. Its artists produced woodblock prints and paintings of such subjects as female beauties; kabuki actors and sumo wrestlers; scenes from history and folk t ...
'' by Suzuki Harunobu of a woman playing the '' shakuhachi'' File:掛花籃-Large Flower Basket MET DP-10807-112.jpg, Large flower basket, bamboo (''madake'') with rattan accents, 2nd half of the 19th century, by Hayakawa Shōkōsai I


References


External links

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