Japanese Bamboo Ikebana Basket

This one-of-a-kind bamboo basket is a late-Meiji era flower basket (hanakago) designed especially for ikebana, the Japanese art of floral arrangement. The basket has a trapezoidal form that tapers to a round opening and is surmounted by a high, arched handle. Beautifully woven of smoked bamboo (susutake), the body of the basket is a twill plaited (ajiro-ami) in a zig-zag pattern and decorated with irregular thin strips integrated into the weave. The handle is comprised of thin strips strengthened by a simple wrapping (bo-maki). Used to contrast and anchor delicate flowers, this bamboo ikebana basket adds rich texture and form to any space.