Bend 100 pieces, and 30 will break. The wood cools the moment it's removed from the hot water, and if you rush, it wrinkles. The felling of natural Akita cedar ended in 2012. The only wood artisans can get their hands on now is wood that has grown for 100 years. This precious wood is boiled in hot water, bent by hand, and sewn with cherry bark. We spoke with Yoshihiko Ishikura, CEO with 40 years of experience in the industry, and Ms. Ito, the first female traditional craftswoman, about the work involved in "Magewappa," a national traditional craft that remains in Odate, Akita.
Mr. Yoshihiko Ishikura
Born in Akita Prefecture. After 30 years working at a Magewappa factory in Odate City, he established "Ryobian" at the age of 60 after retirement. From the beginning, he has embraced the concept of "old yet new Magewappa," developing new products such as baguette containers and Magewappa cups. His work has been featured in various media.
(*Article content is based on information at the time of the interview)
#1 Bend 100 pieces, 30 will break
Boiling water, cherry bark, rice glue. All the handicrafts passed down from the Edo period
──Please tell us about the manufacturing process of Magewappa.
First, there's the bending process. This is the most important part of Magewappa. Basically, we boil the wood in hot water at 80 to 100 degrees Celsius, then wrap it around a mold and bend it.
Each workshop has its own product molds, so we wrap each piece around a mold. Traditionally, there was also a method called "goromaki" where the wood was wrapped around a mold, clamped, and rolled.
──Are there any specific techniques for bending?
Akita cedar is very soft. When it's in hot water, depending on the grain, it can become extremely soft, so at first, I tried to fold it quickly, like clapping my hands.
Even then, it would bend, almost without breaking. But if you do it quickly while it's still soft, the inside will wrinkle when it dries, and it becomes very difficult to remove those wrinkles.
So, it's important to do it slowly. Even if it's soft, taking your time is quite crucial, I think.
──So it still breaks sometimes, doesn't it?
Even with 100-year-old or natural materials, if you bend 100 pieces, about 30% will break. It's a waste, but broken pieces can't be used again.
The moment it comes out of the hot water, it cools down. It cools immediately when it touches steam or air. Once it's cool, it will break. So, you have to be quick, but if you're too quick, it will wrinkle.
This balance is probably the most difficult part.
──What happens after the bending process?
After bending and drying, we bond it. Then we sew it with cherry bark. In the Edo period, there was no adhesive, so they would apply a paste made from rice and then sew it with cherry bark.
The cherry bark, which starts out thick, is gradually shaved thinner and thinner with a knife, until it's extremely thin and used as thread for sewing.
Ms. Ito: Cherry bark has a surprising amount of strength when pulled. It was probably the strongest material they had readily available.
Now we have adhesives, so it's largely decorative, but without it, it feels a bit plain. We keep it as an accent.
──I understand there's also a process for fitting the bottom plate.
We use a double bottom plate. First, we insert one, and then cover it with another. So, the bottom plate absolutely cannot come out. We also use two layers for the lid.
Some places use just one, but we use this method. Even customers who come for a hands-on experience doubt it until we show them a cut piece.
──Please tell us about the final coating process as well.
All the coating is done by spraying. We apply a base coat, sand it all down with sandpaper, apply a middle coat and sand it again, then the finish.
Here, it takes 1 to 2 weeks. Other workshops probably finish in about 3 days. Since brushes can leave bristles, everyone uses spraying. We use urethane resin that clears food sanitation laws.
──How do you differentiate between parts that are handcrafted and parts that are machine-made?
Our work is almost entirely handmade. Even fitting the bottom plate is done by hand, one by one. Other workshops use machines to cut out the same shape, so they can fit it even with their eyes closed, but we don't have such machinery.
However, we do use machines only for the process of shaving and thinning the material. If we were to do it with a plane like in the old days, we'd only be able to make one per year. We have the minimum necessary machinery, but we can't afford any more than that.
#2 Natural Akita cedar can no longer be felled
The history and crisis surrounding "Magewappa" materials
──Could you tell us about Akita cedar used for Magewappa? I heard that natural Akita cedar can no longer be felled.
That's right. I believe it was 2012, but the felling of natural Akita cedar has ended. What we use now is called "high-aged timber," which refers to materials sourced from trees around 100 years old.
In the past, we would originally cut logs ourselves into square timbers and process them to our desired size. However, considering the scale of our workshop, we can't manage unless we buy the wood as planks and use it immediately as a ready-to-use material.
──Is 100-year-old Akita cedar different from older wood?
Natural Akita cedar from 30 or 40 years ago had a completely different color. It was a reddish color, almost pink.
We call it "red heartwood," but the current material no longer has that pinkish hue like in the past. It probably depends on the environment. I think the material breathes in the air over time.
──I heard there's a unique technique for cutting the material.
When taking material from a log, we have to use a method called "masame-dori" (quarter-sawn).
There's also a method called "itame-dori" (flat-sawn) where the wood grain is visible, but if you cut it flat-sawn, it deforms when bent.
That's why it has to be quarter-sawn. And the usable part from a log when quarter-sawn is less than a quarter.
The outer sapwood and the core cannot be used. Since we only use this donut-shaped part, it becomes an extremely expensive material.
──It's not like there are many 100-year-old cedars available. What will you do in the future?
I think this applies to any tree, not just cedar, but thinning is always necessary. If you have three trees, you have to thin them out, otherwise the other cedars won't grow.
They grow for about 50 to 100 years, but now there are forests managed by the government, so we have no choice but to rely on them.
The question is, who will witness 100 years? So the materials are truly precious. I constantly tell everyone, "Don't waste it."
──Could you also tell us about the difference with Chinese-made Magewappa?
Chinese Magewappa isn't boiled and bent like ours. They wrap thin planks around many times.
They stick it with adhesive, and if water gets in, it swells, and the bottom plate can come out. When customers contact us saying "the bottom came out" or "the lid came off" and send photos, 99 percent of the time it's Chinese-made.
You can tell by looking at the edges. Since thin planks are wrapped around, the color might be different on the outside and inside. Anything around 5,000 to 6,000 yen is a bit risky. Honestly, I think it makes serious work seem foolish.
#3 The reason why Magewappa is an "everyday vessel"
Even a single pickled plum looks delicious when served in this vessel.
──Please tell us about the advantages of using a Magewappa lunchbox and its practical aspects.
First, Magewappa is light. And it's a natural insulator. Even if you put rice and side dishes in it, they're less likely to spoil. Even if it's hot outside, the heat doesn't easily penetrate inside, and it doesn't get rock-hard cold in winter. "Less likely to spoil" is probably the biggest advantage.
Traditionally, Magewappa bowls have primarily been used for lunchboxes, but no matter what you put in them, even a single pickled plum, it still looks magnificent, doesn't it?
In the past, there weren't any side dishes. They would put rice in the lid and rice in the main body, with just a pickled plum. It's said they'd pack about two meals' worth of just rice.
So, I think the vessel really enhances the deliciousness.
──I heard that lunchboxes are being re-evaluated and spreading among younger generations.
It's been about five years now, hasn't it? Ever since YouTube and Instagram started featuring "here's how to wash it" and "here's how to use it," people in their 20s and 30s suddenly started using them.
Before, some customers would even ask, "Can I wash this lunchbox?" You can just wash it thoroughly with neutral detergent and air dry it.
That's the easiest way. The fact that it can be washed with other dishes has led to a huge increase in young users. Previously, people in their late 40s, 50s, and 60s were the main users, but now it's mostly people in their 20s and 30s.
──Do you, Mr. Ishikura, and your employees actually use Magewappa?My craftsmen and I bring our lunch in Magewappa lunchboxes every day. We would never use plastic or aluminum lunchboxes.
Who would use it if the manufacturer doesn't, right? And what's more, our craftsmen use the lunchboxes they made themselves. You wouldn't know otherwise, would you?
They have to use our own products and understand for themselves, "This is how it is in this situation."
──Being able to use it for a long time is also an attractive feature, isn't it?
Even our staff members say it's perfectly fine after seven years of use. It's good for ten years.
Wooden items might seem expensive, but if you use a 10,000 yen lunchbox for ten years, it's only 1,000 yen a year. How much does that come out to if you use it for over 300 days a year?
Plus, all repairs and restorations are possible. If the cherry bark breaks, we re-sew it. If the lid cracks, we reattach it. We even sell lids as separate parts.
I think the ability to restore wooden products in this way is also a great appeal.
