Wagatabon - Japanese sweet chestnut tray

I have learnt the endangered skill of Wagatabon tray carving in August 2019 from Japanese woodworker Professor Masashi Kutsuwa (ありがとうございました久津輪 雅さん) who himself learned from wagatabon master Shinichi Moriguchi 森口信一さん.

Wagata-Bon (我谷盆) is a wooden tray made since the 17th century in the village of Wagatani, Ishikawa Prefecture, Japan. Traditionally carved from sweet chestnut, it is distinguished by the grooves on the interior edges and bottom. This know-how that had disappeared in the 1960s is today perpetuated by a handful of artisans in Japan and around the world.

Perpetuating and keeping alive this skill is for me a way to celebrate heritage crafts techniques, savoir-faire and “the intelligence of the hand”. Taking the time to conscientiously make with handtools, is a meditative process to create unique pieces with character.

My tea trays are slowly carved on an atedai 当て台 (Japanese workbench) using only three tools: a chisel, a gouge and a mallet. The wooden blank being previously squared with an axe from a tree log freshly cut with an hand saw. Carved from ethically sourced logs of trees that grew up locally.