SoraNews24 —Japan News—

Bringing you yesterday's news from Japan and Asia, today.

RocketNews24 Japanese

Featured

Chinese artisans use traditional foot-powered lathe to craft beautiful wooden bowls【Video】

Screen Shot 2015-11-24 at 4.03.10 PM

At one time, nearly all of the 270 households in the village of Shawo would have been engaged in woodcraft, but today just six elderly men know the old techniques. Luckily, a younger generation is taking steps to ensure that the craft does not die out.

Traditional woodcraft in the Chinese village of Shawo, Hebei Province, uses foot- and hand-powered lathes to carve utensils, dishes, toys and more from pieces of wood. For example, in the video below, posted by the International Wood Culture Society on their YouTube page, “set turning” is used to carve four nestled bowls out of a single 30-cm block of willow.

The craftsman in this video is 84-year-old Cheng Jinqing and he is assisted by his young apprentice Li Xuemin, one of the younger people in the village working to keep the traditional techniques alive.

First, the artisan chooses his wood, then shapes it into a cylinder with a small axe, a process known as “shaping blank.”

He carves a small base into the blank so that it can be mounted onto the lathe.

Once mounted into the lathe, the artisan uses pedal power to turn the blank while he shaves off strips of wood to get the shape he desires.

Use the set-turning technique, the artisan is able to carve several bowls nestled together, so to speak. This saves about one third of the wood compared to carving them individually.

And the final products are beautiful and delicate, showing off the grain of the wood and a timeless design.

It really is quite lovely to watch the craftsman at work, and it’s good to know that these techniques will not be lost any time soon.

Source and images: International Wood Culture Society
H/T: Kotaro Burogu

Like this:

Like Loading…

Related Stories

Trackbacks

  1. There are no trackbacks yet.
  2. Trackback URL

Trending Today

  1. Japan’s new matcha vending machines serve freshly prepared matcha in five different strengths
  2. Starbucks Japan unveils new winter drinkware collection with limited-edition Stanley cups
  3. Pachinko parlor operator arrested for not obscuring the act of gambling well enough
  4. Get the taste of the U.K. in Tokyo with 99 Flakes, meat pies, and Jaffa Cakes
  5. Restaurant opens in Japan with all-dementia waitresses, serves up ramen, awareness, and kindness
  6. Pokémon doughnuts pop up at Mister Donut, with a new gathering that’s bigger than ever
  7. Discount retailers known for massive bargains releases massive Japanese egg sandwich
  8. Cinnabon gets into the Japanese spirit with new Wagokorobon treats
  9. Family Mart releases 47 convenience store socks and stickers, one for every prefecture in Japan
  10. Liquid croissant coffee is coming to Japanese stores this month

© SoraNews24 —Japan News— / SOCIO CORPORATION

Powered by WordPress VIP

%d