A lovely old Japanese harvest basket illustrating the overlap between minge (folk craft that is primarily functional), and kogei (traditional craft that borders on fine art). This is a utilitarian basket, strong but flexible, woven in the hexagonal plaiting style known as kagome ami (or kikko ami in Western Japan). With a little more attention to detail, and a fixed handle, it could be a hanakago— a special basket used to arrange flowers for ikebana. We like it like this, a little rough around the edges, and rich in wabi sabi.
A lovely old Japanese harvest basket illustrating the overlap between minge (folk craft that is primarily functional), and kogei (traditional craft that borders on fine art). This is a utilitarian basket, strong but flexible, woven in the hexagonal plaiting style known as kagome ami (or kikko ami in Western Japan). With a little more attention to detail, and a fixed handle, it could be a hanakago— a special basket used to arrange flowers for ikebana. We like it like this, a little rough around the edges, and rich in wabi sabi.
