Wood Lunchbox Oval Hakata Magemono TAMAKI

Condition:
Brand New.

Hakata Magemono is made from cedar or cypress boards that are bent with heat and then bound with cherry bark. (In Kanto, it is called "Magewappa.")

Since no metal is used, it lasts for a very long time depending on how well it is cared for, and it is very light.

In addition, magemono is full of wisdom from the old days, as it makes rice fluffy and does not damage the Bento food inside even if it is filled with rice while it is still warm.

The forms that have been perfected over hundreds of years have been refined in terms of design.

Magemono is used also as a rice chest or the containers for tea ceremony.

Tamaki is very innovative in the way she creates new concept or goods in the areas where they had not used magemono traditionally.   This item is also a proof of her innovative mind, providing a Bento box that is even used for sandwiches. 

Her challenge has also made it possible to gather information and unravel the real history about magemono in Japan through the network she helped establish.

<Tamaki Shibata>

The Shibata family has been making and handing down Hakata magemono for over 400 years in the town of Tamaki. Tamaki Shibata, a woman, mother, and craftswoman, is the 18th generation of the Shibata family to take over the family business.

Tamaki is not only a female craftswoman in a traditional craft world that is dominated by male society, but she is also the leader of a nationwide network of magemono artisans.

In addition to making magemono in her studio, she also gives demonstrations of magemono making to the general public every Thursday at the Hakata Machiya Furusato-kan, a museum of traditional Fukuoka culture.