These woven baskets are made in Kitakata City, Fukushima Prefecture, from Nemagaridake bamboo, which grows in cold, snowy mountains at altitudes above 1,000m on Mt. Oguni. Since the Edo period, people in the Oguni area have been making baskets like these as handiwork in their spare time from farm work. The bamboo is processed into strips, and its natural curves help to determine the shape of the finished object. The baskets are tightly woven with a hexagonal pattern, which makes them strong, elastic, and long-lasting.