>Tom.Reding at 20:40, 8 June 2021

2021-06-08T20:40:57Z

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'''Bambooworking''' is the activity or skill of making items from [[bamboo]], and includes [[architecture]], [[carpentry]], [[furniture]] and [[cabinetry]], [[carving]], [[joinery (woodworking)|joinery]], and [[weaving]]. Its historical roots in Asia span cultures, civilizations, and millennia.

== History ==
[[File:Bamboo forest, Taiwan.jpg|thumb|Bamboo forest near Shizhuo, [[Chiayi County]], Taiwan]]
Bamboo has hundred of species and grows in large swathes across parts of [[East Asia|East]], [[South Asia|South]], and [[Southeast Asia]]. Along with [[wood]], [[Rock (geology)|stone]], [[sand]], [[clay]] and animal parts, bamboo was one of the first materials worked by [[early human]]s. The development of civilization was closely tied to the development of increasingly greater degrees of skill in working these materials. Just like [[woodworking]], it came to be used for [[bamboo construction]], [[bamboo textiles]], [[bamboo and wooden slips]], [[bamboo musical instruments]], [[bamboo weaving]], and many other areas.

===China===
[[File:Brush holder with motifs of longevity, signed by Yuxuan, China, Qing dynasty, approx. 1600-1544 AD, bamboo root - Asian Art Museum of San Francisco - DSC01568.JPG|thumb|Brush holder with motifs of longevity, signed by Yuxuan, Qing dynasty, approx. 1600-1644, bamboo root]]

Bamboo's long life makes it a Chinese symbol of uprightness. The rarity of its [[bamboo blossom|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 [[Culture of China|Chinese culture]], the bamboo, [[Prunus mume|plum]] blossom, [[orchid]], and [[chrysanthemum]] (often known as ''méi lán zhú jú'' 梅兰竹菊) are collectively referred to as the [[Four Gentlemen]]. These four plants also represent the four seasons and, in [[Confucianism|Confucian]] ideology, four aspects of the ''[[junzi]]'' ("prince" or "noble one"). The [[pine]] (''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]]" (岁寒三友 ''suìhán sānyǒu'') in Chinese culture. Bamboo, one of the "[[Four Gentlemen]]" (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]] (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.<ref name="Tom 1989 108">{{Cite book |title=Echoes from Old China: Life, Legends, and Lore of the Middle Kingdom |last=Tom |first=K. S. |publisher=University of Hawaii Press |year=1989 |pages=108}}</ref><ref name="Qian 2000 3">{{Cite book |title=Chinese Fans: Artistry and Aesthetics |last= Qian |first= Gonglin |publisher=Long River Press |year=2000 |isbn= 978-1592650200 |pages=3}}</ref> The cultivation and application of bamboo has played an important in the development of Chinese civilization from prehistoric times to the present.<ref>{{Cite book |title=A History of Chinese Science and Technology |last=Lu |first= Yongxiang |publisher=Springer |year=2014 |isbn=978-3662441626 |volume=3 |publication-date=October 20, 2014 |page=469}}</ref><ref name="Tom 1989 108"/><ref>{{Cite book |title=Science in Traditional China: A Comparative Perspective |last=Needham |first=Joseph |publisher=The Chinese University Press |year=1981 |pages=92, 266}}</ref> 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.<ref name="Tom 1989 108"/> 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.<ref name="Qian 2000 3"/> 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).<ref name="Tom 1989 108"/> 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.<ref name="Tom 1989 108"/><ref>{{Cite book |title=Ancient China: A History |last1=Major |first1=John S. |last2=Cook |first2=Constance A. |publisher=Routledge |year=2016 |isbn=978-0765616005 |publication-date=September 16, 2016 |page=39}}</ref><ref name="Qian 2000 3"/>

There are about 300 species of bamboo found in China, the greatest number of any country covering 12,350 square miles.<ref>{{Cite book |title=Encyclopedia of China: History and Culture |last=Perkins |first=Dorothy |publisher=Routledge |year=1998 |isbn=978-1579581107 |pages=23}}</ref> 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.<ref>{{Cite book |title=Encyclopedia of Cultivated Plants: From Acacia to Zinnia |last=Cumo |first=Christopher Martin |publisher=ABC-CLIO |year=2013 |isbn=978-1598847741 |page=80}}</ref><ref name="R&L Education">{{Cite book |title=Kaleidoscope of Cultures: A Celebration of Multicultural Research and Practice |last1=Moore |first1= Marvelene C. |last2= Ewell |first2=Philip |year=2010 |publisher=R&L Education |isbn=978-1607093015 |page=59}}</ref> Thin strips of bamboo were woven together and the stalks were heated and bent to make chairs, beds, drawers, tables, and folding screens.<ref>{{Cite book |title=Encyclopedia of China: History and Culture |last=Perkins |first=Dorothy |publisher=Routledge |year=1998 |isbn=978-1579581107 |pages=24}}</ref><ref name="R&L Education"/>

=== Japan ===
[[File:Basket Weaver in Japan (1915 by Elstner Hilton).jpg|thumb|Japanese basket weaver working with ''[[kagome lattice|kagome]]'' pattern (1915)]]
More than six hundred species of [[bamboo]] grow in Japan, including the ''[[Phyllostachys bambusoides]]'' 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 (botany)|culm]] and a root system that can form either aggressive runners or thick, slowly spreading clusters.<ref name="Abbey">{{cite book |last1=Bincsik |first1=Monika |last2=Moroyama |first2=Masanori |date=2017 |title=Japanese Bamboo Art: The Abbey Collection |url=http://store.metmuseum.org/exhibition-catalogues/japanese-bamboo-art-the-abbey-collection/invt/80038879 |location=New York |publisher=Metropolitan Museum of Art |pages=48 |isbn=9781588396143 }}</ref>

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 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.<ref name="Abbey"/>

{{Nihongo|Bamboowork|竹細工|takezaiku||}} is a traditional [[Japanese craft]] 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]] (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.<ref name="Abbey"/> 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.<ref name="Abbey"/>

Apart from carving bamboo, another important area is [[Japanese bamboo weaving|bamboo weaving]].

Supplemental usage of bamboo in architecture can include scaffolding, windows, walls, fences, and water pipes such as ''[[shishi-odoshi]]''. Items for catching, transporting, and preparing food can include cages, baskets, cooking vessels, [[Rolling pin|rollers]], and [[chopsticks]]. Items for personal hygiene carved out of bamboo are traditional [[comb]]s, [[earpick]]s, and [[toothpick]]s. Personal Items such as [[hat]]s and [[shoe]]s out of thin strips were made, as well as [[parasol]]s and [[Hand fan|fan]]s. Bamboo was also crafted into weapons such as the ''[[yumi]]'' and [[arrow]]s, [[spear]]s, and for martial arts such as the ''[[shinai]]''. [[Bamboo textile]]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]]'', ''[[komabue]]'', ''[[minteki]]'', ''[[nohkan]]'', ''[[ryūteki]]'', ''[[shakuhachi]]'', ''[[shinobue]]'', and ''[[yokobue]]''.

The [[Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry]] 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)<ref>http://www.city.beppu.oita.jp/06sisetu/takezaiku/english/takezaiku.html</ref><ref>http://www.pref.oita.jp/site/280/</ref>
* Miyakonojo big bow (Miyazaki)

<gallery>
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]]'' fight with bamboo ''[[shinai]]'', in the background a bamboo fence
File:Portrait de courtisane (musée Guimet) (15516789331).jpg|''[[ukiyo-e]]'' 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
</gallery>

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

== External links ==
{{Commons category-inline}}

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[[Category:Bambooworking| ]]

Bambooworking - Revision history

>Tom.Reding at 20:40, 8 June 2021